


Blue Eyes

by Underling



Series: Blue Eyes [1]
Category: Glass (2019), Split (2016), Split (2016) RPF
Genre: F/M, Kidnapping, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Past Sexual Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-19
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-10-31 10:45:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 57,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17847983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Underling/pseuds/Underling
Summary: “Authorities are following a new lead in the search for Kevin Wendell Crumb after an anonymous tipper called into the Philidelphia pol-”Casey grabbed the remote, shutting off the television and tossing the remote aside. She ran her hand over her face as if to rub the newscast from her mind.It had been two months since she’d escaped near death at the hands of the twenty-fourth personality, The Beast.~And now they were back for her.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya.
> 
> This is the first work I've done for Split, so I hope you like it. 
> 
> Currently I'm in college and so I'm unaware of the updating schedule, but hopefully, it will be a fairly regulated schedule. At least once a week, I promise you. 
> 
> Without further ado.

_“Authorities are following a new lead in the search for Kevin Wendell Crumb after an anonymous tipper called into the Philidelphia pol-”_

Casey grabbed the remote, shutting off the television and tossing the remote aside. She ran her hand over her face as if to rub the newscast from her mind.

It had been two months since she’d escaped near death at the hands of the twenty-fourth personality, The Beast. 

She did her best, the best she could, at being normal. The foster family she lived with now tried their best to help her, tried to keep her in high spirits when they could, and to give her space when she needed it. Her foster mom had helped her find a good therapist, a woman whose sign on her door read ‘Doctor Johansen’ but who insisted on Casey calling her Nancy. An attempt to make her feel more comfortable. 

The people at school stared at her, more now than ever. Only now they didn’t try to hide it. She could hear the whispers all around her, people talking about how they didn’t understand why she was let go. Why her kidnapper didn’t kill her in the same gruesome way he killed their friends. Some people didn’t hide the fact that they honestly believed that she had slept with him, that she had connected to him in a way that no one should ever connect to someone who kidnapped her and stole the lives of two young women. Two young women that everyone loved. 

Claire’s dad tried to connect to Casey now, some part of him feeling as though the whole thing was his own fault. As if he had made Dennis kidnap the girls. As if he had been the one to tear into his own daughter and her best friend. He would send her money in the mail every couple weeks. She’d get two hundred dollars with each envelope. She didn’t spend any of it, now up to nearly a thousand dollars. 

She was going to use that money as soon as she turned eighteen. Less than two weeks now. Ten days. She had a countdown on her hand now. She would give some of it to her foster siblings. The rest she would use to get a hotel room until she could save up enough for an apartment. She was working at a coffee shop on some weekdays, saving, saving, saving. 

Along with that money, she also got the money that her uncle had been keeping from her, left to her by her father. She hadn’t even known about it. Not until her uncle was put in jail. She wanted to get away. Get away from Philidelphia. Away from all the memories that would flood in when her foster siblings asked to go to the zoo on the weekends. 

She stared at the blank television screen, looking at her reflection staring back at her. It felt as if it was telling her that she shouldn’t be here now. She should be in the same place that Claire and Marcia were. Ten minutes from her own house. 

She shook her head, dropping her gaze from the television and looking around the living room. She was alone currently, the rest of the kids either at their friends or - for the youngest - with their foster mom at her job, where she enjoyed spending her weekend. 

“I’m going for a walk,” Casey muttered to herself, turning a bit to grab her winter jacket from the back of the couch where she had thrown it earlier in the day. 

When the door opened, a brisk cold wind hit her face, causing a small groan to escape her lips. It was the middle of December and despite her heavy jacket, she could feel the wind pushing through the layers she had. 

She didn’t know where she was going, she had no specific place in mind, but she continued on, taking a few randoms turns every few minutes. 

It was nearly half an hour later when she realized she had been consistently hearing a motor running behind her. She frowned, allowing herself a single glance backward. 

The car was a newer model, dark in color with windows tinted as darkly as legally allowed, she assumed. Casey didn’t want to seem paranoid, didn’t want to go running away, especially if this just happened to be a civilian driving along. 

“Don’t freak out, Casey,” she whispered to herself. “Don’t freak out. It’s just a coincidence.”

She decided to ignore it, noticing a park in the distance. Most of it was still covered in light snow, left over from the last storm that had hit a few days before. The kids were incredibly excited, pulling Casey out with them to sled down a hill outside the house. School got let out for two days following that, a cause for a party in the kids’ minds. 

Even from the distance she was still at, she could see that a single swing was devoid of any snow, she would choose that as her spot as soon as she reached it, giving herself somewhere to sit and think over her thoughts. 

The sidewalk around the park was cleared, devoid of all snow, and she followed along with it until she no longer could, stepping in the snow and making her way to the swing. She felt the cold seep through her jeans as she sat down. Her teeth chattered together against her will. 

Casey began pushing herself with her feet, focusing on the sounds of cars driving by, none stopping, her head facing the ground She thought about the newscast, about how they were on the lookout for ‘Kevin’ when in fact she was certain he wasn’t in control. At the thought of him, the deep scar on her leg began pulsating with old pain. 

A solid sound broke through her thoughts a few seconds later, the sound of a car door slamming shut. It didn’t sound ridiculously close, and she ignored it again. 

It was only when snow began quietly crunching that she began to think _maybe something’s wrong._

By then, it was too late. She could see a pair of dark shoes stop next to her. Her heart dropped from her chest. She knew those shoes. She knew the pair of dark pants. Knew that if she looked up, she would see a matching dark button up, a pair of black glasses sitting upon a man’s face. But, most importantly, she recognized the aerosol can being held in his hand. 

_No_ , her mind whispered. _Not again. Not again. Please._

“Casey,” and that voice. She couldn’t deny it anymore. She knew exactly who it was. 

Casey swallowed thickly, finding the courage to look up at the man she had hoped she wouldn’t see anywhere aside from behind bars or on the television. “Dennis,” she whispered, voice sounding choked. 

“I don’t want to use this,” he told her, holding up the can as if he thought she hadn’t already seen it. “But I will. If I need to. If it means stopping you from making a scene.”

She stared at his face, calculating if she thought she could make it. If she could run away without him catching her. She knew it was no use and she knew that even if someone in a car driving by would see her running, they wouldn’t do anything. They never did anything. Maybe they’d think it was an innocent game of tag between sweethearts. But they wouldn’t stop. 

“What do you want, Dennis,” she asked him quietly, unwilling to make her voice any louder. 

Dennis stared at her and she saw his throat move as he swallowed. “You have to come with us,” he told her, voice not changing pitch. “Please, just come willingly. Please.”

She hadn’t heard him say please before. But she did notice that he wasn’t looking at her shirt. In fact, he was only looking at her eyes. Casey looked down, seeing a small stain on her jacket. _Same Dennis._

She stood up from the swing. “Where are you taking me?” she asked softly, flinching when he reached out and took her arm as if to make sure she wouldn’t be able to get away from him.

“You’ll see when we get there,” Dennis muttered, beginning to pull her towards the dark car she had seen following her. 

_Why didn’t I just run_ , she asked herself. _I should have run as fast as I could._

When they got to the car, he opened the door for her, gently pushing her down to get her to sit down in the passenger seat. 

The door shut and she watched him walk around the front, shaking his head to himself, running a hand over his shaved hair, his other hand clenched to his side. He seemed to be muttering to himself. 

Casey wondered if she should try to make a run for it, now that he wasn’t in the car and was away from her. But she’d be lying if she said she didn’t wonder what he wanted. If the others were okay. If Hedwig was okay, or Barry, or Jade, or… she clenched her teeth. If they had ever let Kevin back into the light. If he was okay. 

Dennis got into the car, slamming the door shut behind him. “Your jacket,” he practically grunted out. “It has a stain on it. Take it off. Now. Take it off and throw it in the back seat, please, Casey.”

Casey knew better than to argue with him, knew if she did he would just take it off her himself and she didn’t want him to touch her. She didn’t want anyone to touch her in a way that involved her clothes coming off. So she did as she was told, removing the only warmth she had and throwing it into the back. 

She wondered if she should try and make small talk. Maybe if she could get him to talk, then she could get him to reveal something without realizing it. Like why he was taking her now or where they were going. 

But he wasn’t putting the car in drive yet. She frowned, looking up at him, only now realizing that he had his mask over his face. He had been planning to knock her out all along. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Truly, I am,” and he raised the can, bringing it to her face.

The last thing Casey saw was a light mist, Dennis’s face - an almost concerned look on it, and then darkness.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dennis took a deep breath, rubbing his hand over his face. “Look,” he muttered. “I know you don’t want to be here, but it’s safe here.”
> 
> Casey stared at him incredulously. “Safe? Here? With you? You who have kidnapped me twice now,” her voice was cruel. “You who got two girls killed and you who now cause me to walk with a limp for probably the rest of my life.”
> 
> Dennis swallowed and, to Casey, it looked like he was truly disappointed in how she saw him. “Or maybe I should trust you,” her voice was quieter now. “Maybe I should trust you despite what you did, despite the fact that I have nightmares every time I fall asleep, or that I feel the same pain in my leg as I did that night whenever I see a report about you or hear your name.”
> 
> She didn’t realize it, but tears had begun gathering in her eyes, slipping down her face. “I’m sorry,” was all Dennis had to say back to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I barely posted the prologue and there's so much support for my story. I can't believe it. Thank you so much, all of you. I'm really bad about replying to comments, so don't take offense. 
> 
> So here's chapter one
> 
> Trigger: Memory of past abuse.
> 
> Also, don't get used to this quick of an update. This is a surprise to me. And probably to you. Enjoy

Casey woke up slowly, her body stiff and sore, different joints cracking as she moved.

She was front down in a dingy cot, her head turned to the left, facing a brick wall.

Before she could wake entirely, she heard someone clear their throat behind her and she suddenly realized where she was, remembered what had happened.

Casey shot up, ignoring how her bones protested, pressing her back to the wall and drawing her legs up, arms wrapped around her knees.

Dennis was on the other side of the room, sitting in a small chair in the only doorway in. His arms, per usual, were crossed tightly over his chest, eyebrows pulled together tightly. “Good,” he worked out. “You’re awake, I thought I must have used too much of the spray,” Casey refused to think he was actually worried that she wouldn’t have woken up.

Casey remained silent, hoping he would grow annoyed with her not talking and would leave. It seemed to work, as Dennis shook his head and stood up, arms dropping to his sides. “Hedwig wants to talk to you,” he muttered, walking out the door, though Casey noticed that he didn’t shut the door behind himself.

It was only a few minutes later when she heard a _bop, bop, bop_ , of someone running down a hall towards her room. 

Hedwig appeared in the doorway, a bright grin on his face. “Casey!” he shouted, running in and grabbing the chair Dennis had left behind and pulled it closer to her cot. “Mr. Dennis told me he brought you but he wouldn’t let me out to see you. I tried to come to the light but he kept pushing me back.”

He was talking a mile a minute and Casey found it difficult to keep up. She almost smiled, he reminded her of some of her foster siblings. The thought of them made her heart hurt. 

How long had she been gone? Was her foster family worried? Had they called the cops?

Hedwig was still talking, though Casey didn’t know what about anymore. 

“-and Mr. Dennis said not to scare you, so I can’t talk about the Bea- I mean, not scary things,” he carried on.

Casey swallowed, absently rubbing at her leg. “Hedwig,” she cut him off, watching as his eyes lit up when she finally talked to him. “Can I speak to Patricia?” she asked, figuring if anyone would give her real answers, it would be the matriarchal personality.

But Hedwig’s face seemed to contort a bit at the mention of her. “No,” he mumbled. “Uh, I’m not supposed to talk about that. Mr. Dennis can tell you,” and he ran out of the room, once again, the door was left wide open. 

She wondered if this was their way of telling her that she could leave the room she was in.

So Casey stood up stiffly, making her way to the open door and looking out. She realized she was in a basement, a set of stairs to her right leading to a closed door.

To her left, there was a small living room. A couch, a recliner, a coffee table, and a small television. Past that, there was a long hallway with multiple doors lining it, one with a light underneath it. 

Casey assumed that was where Hedwig had run off to and chose to stay away from there, bringing her focus to the stairway. She walked cautiously up the stairs, wincing when one squeaked, before making it to the door.

She closed her eyes, sending up a silent prayer that the door would open, and reached her hand out. She tried twisting the doorknob one way, then the next, though, leaving her unsurprised, it was locked. She heard a set of keys jingle behind her and she slowly turned, seeing Dennis standing at the bottom of the stairs. He had a ring of keys dangling from his hand and a disappointed look plastered upon his face. “Did you really think that would be unlocked?” he questioned his tone of voice causing Casey to feel almost stupid.

Casey stalked back down the stairs, pushing past him as she started towards the room she had been in. As she reached the door, Dennis coughed. “You, uh, you don’t have to stay in there,” he murmured. “You can stay out here, in the living room, if you’d prefer.”

Casey turned to look at him, knowing her face held a somewhat cruel look. “What I’d prefer is to not be here at all,” she snapped, her body rigid with anger. “What I’d prefer is to know why I’m here in the first place. And why did Hedwig say he wasn’t allowed to speak about Patricia? What’s going on? What do you want with me?”

Dennis let her speak, waiting until she was done before even making a move. “Come sit on the couch,” he told her, walking to the living space and moving the coffee table a bit away, sitting down on the edge, waiting for her to come over.

Casey stared at him, taking a deep breath before doing as he had suggested, walking slowly to the couch and sitting on the armrest, as far from Dennis as she could. “So?” she questioned, her voice giving away her annoyance.

Dennis took a deep breath, rubbing his hand over his face. “Look,” he muttered. “I know you don’t want to be here, but it’s safe here.”

Casey stared at him incredulously. “Safe? Here? With you? You who have kidnapped me twice now,” her voice was cruel. “You who got two girls killed and you who now cause me to walk with a limp for probably the rest of my life.”

Dennis swallowed and, to Casey, it looked like he was truly disappointed in how she saw him. “Or maybe I should trust you,” her voice was quieter now. “Maybe I should trust you despite what you did, despite the fact that I have nightmares every time I fall asleep, or that I feel the same pain in my leg as I did that night whenever I see a report about you or hear your name.”

She didn’t realize it, but tears had begun gathering in her eyes, slipping down her face. “I’m sorry,” was all Dennis had to say back to her. 

Casey shook her head. “You’re sorry?” she asked, her voice sounding broken. “Then why did you do it in the first place?”

Dennis stared at her, opening his mouth once before closing it again, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. “I thought it was the right thing,” he whispered, looking at her again, arms crossing once more. “I thought it was how we could protect Kevin. By getting rid of the impure, the ones who may hurt him later on. I listened to what Patricia was saying-”

Casey cut him off. “And what of her?” she asked. “Why won’t Hedwig say anything about her. Why do you have to tell me about her?”

Dennis’ jaw tightened, Casey saw the muscles there working against the skin. “I should never have listened to her,” he said after a few moments of silence. “Okay? I should never have believed what she was saying. She was wrong. I know that now,” he told her. “I should have listened to what Barry and the rest were telling us. That the Beast was nothing more than a power play, to take over and prove us to be the strongest.”

Casey listened in silence, taking in what he was saying. He was sorry? 

“Patricia is,” he trailed off, eyebrows knitted together. “She is being repressed now. She is not allowed in the light anymore, as with the Beast. I didn’t want to kidnap you again,” he told her. “But I- we needed to tell you that.”

Casey nodded as he seemed to finish. “So, do I get to leave?” she asked quietly, after Dennis remained silent for a bit, obviously done saying what he needed to. 

Dennis looked away from her, almost guiltily. “About that,” he murmured, but before he could say anything else, his face grew more relaxed, very unlike him. 

“You must be Casey,” the new voice came out almost as a surprise to her, a slight Jersey accent marking it. “We met briefly, during the… uh,” the new personality smiled apologetically.

Casey realized now, this was Barry. The personality she had met after Kevin when he was cycling through the desirable ones. This was the personality that used to have control before the Horde took over. 

Casey nodded now, waiting for him to say something more. “How do you feel?” he asked her, shifting his position to a far more relaxed one, leaning back on one hand. “Have you eaten?”

She shook her head. “No,” she murmured. “I just woke up not too long ago. I, uh, do you know why I’m here?”

Barry nodded, standing up and walking away. “Oh, baby girl, follow me,” he called over his shoulder as he began down the hallway. “Let’s get some food in you. Maybe a headache medicine?” he offered, looking back at her, seeing her still sitting on the couch. “Hey, I’ll explain everything. A lot better than Dennis would, old fool.”

Casey stood gingerly, not sure what to do. On one hand, she was really hungry, but on the other, she just wanted to leave. But, she chose the former, following after Barry as he began walking again. He led her to a closed door, opening it to reveal a small kitchen area. 

“Where are we?” Casey asked carefully, sitting down at the small table there. “It’s a basement with a full living area?”

Barry laughed, grabbing something from a cupboard and putting it in a pan on the stove. “It’s outside the city,” he told her. “We, uh, might have gotten a fake ID and stuff and, uh, bought - or rented - it. The guy just really wanted money, so he gave it to us without many questions. Upstairs is another living area, we could be up there, but the heating is much nicer down here.”

Casey nodded as if she truly understood. “Uh, Barry,” she asked quietly. “Do you know why, uh, why Dennis took me… again?”

Barry stopped what he was doing in a second, dropping a spoon he had been using. “What?” he asked, turning to look at him. “He took you?”

Casey frowned, pulling her eyebrows together. “Yeah,” she murmured. “He followed me to a park and had me get in the car, before knocking me out and then I woke up here.”

Barry shook his head, rubbing his hand over his head. “No, no, no,” he muttered. “He was not supposed to do that. He was supposed to ask you to come so he could explain that he was wrong and sorry.”

Casey sat up a little straighter. “So I can leave if I want to?” she asked quietly.

Barry nodded quickly. “Of course you can, sweetheart,” he told her. “We aren’t going to force you to stay here. Not at all. Dennis is… he is quite sorry about what he did to you. He was,” he trailed off, turning to the stove again and working on the food some more. “He couldn’t stop thinking about you and your, um, the marks on your body.”

Casey grew rigid, one hand unwillingly moving to where some of her scars were on her stomach. “What?” she asked, throat tight. “How did… how did he know about those? The Beast,” she cringed at the name. “He was the one who saw them. Dennis… why does he care?”

Barry hummed. “The Horde had a unique thing with the Beast,” he murmured. “They could see what he- it saw. So when it saw your scars, so did Dennis and Patricia and Hedwig. Of course, Patricia and Dennis knew what they could be from, but Hedwig was confused and kept asking questions until Dennis couldn’t take it anymore. He and Patricia got into it about if the Beast was actually what Kevin needed and then Dennis realized that Patricia was wrong and wanted nothing more than power. So he called upon us and now, well, here we are.”

The food was done and Barry got out two bowls, dishing out what appeared to be ravioli into each. “Despite how it may come across, Dennis does have a soft side. He cares about things. When he saw those scars, he began thinking of when he came along,” Barry explained. “He remembered how Kevin’s mom had hurt him so many times. He grew more and more concerned for you, and we caught him thinking about wanting you to be safe.”

Casey looked at her food, not wanting to meet Barry’s eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For… for telling me. But… I need to talk to my foster family. For them to know that I’m okay.”

Barry nodded quickly, rushing out of the room and back with her cell phone. “I think Dennis sent them a message,” he said apologetically. 

Casey opened her phone, looking to the messages, where, sure enough, a message had been sent to her foster mom, telling her that she was staying at a friends house, sent the day before. 

“Wait,” Casey said quickly, shooting up from her chair. “What day is it?”

Barry frowned. “Uh, December eleventh,” he told her. “Why?”

“I’ve been here a whole day,” she whispered. “I have to get back soon. They’ll call the cops if I don’t. They have to. I’m not eighteen yet. Not for,” she looked at her hand, realizing it was a day off now. “Nine days.”

Barry nodded. “Wow,” he murmured. “You’re almost a full adult,” he seemed excited for her. “We’ll have to celebrate. If you wouldn’t mind it.”

Casey hated the thought in her mind now, that she could stay here. Barry didn’t seem too bad to her. Maybe they could be friends at some point in time. “Maybe,” she murmured. “Can you take me home?” she asked quietly.

Barry nodded again. “Of course,” he told her. “But you need to eat first if you’ve been here that long then you have to eat your food.”

Casey smiled softly, doing as she was told and beginning to eat the food in front of her. 

…

When she finished her bowl, Barry grabbed it and tossed it in the sink. “Dennis is going to hate that I didn’t wash it, but it serves him right. Trying to force you to stay here, fool.”

Casey laughed despite herself, covering her mouth with her hand, but soon Barry began laughing with her and she continued laughing. It last almost a few minutes and they finished out of breath and wide smiles on their faces. She liked Barry, he seemed like a big brother to her or a best friend. 

“Alright, baby girl,” Barry announced, standing from the table and helping Casey up. “Let’s get you home.”

Casey was relieved, not that she was leaving, but that she could make sure her foster family knew for certain she was okay. 

Barry led her out the top of the stairs, humming a song to himself and bopping his head. Casey listened closely and realized he was humming Disney songs. She smiled to herself as they reached the car.

The car ride with Barry was entertaining. He turned the music on loud and he sang along with it excitedly. He constantly tried to get Casey to sing with him, but she only chose to smile and listen. 

When they made it to her foster house, she saw the lights on inside. She looked at the time on the dashboard. 4:57 P.M. The kids would be getting ready for dinner and then they’d finish any homework they had left. Casey normally took homework time to escape to her room for the silence. She’d graduated early - about a week before - and was now done with school. She thought about applying for some college but continued to put off applications.

Even the thought of college scared her. Before her uncle had gone to jail, he’d always told her she would never go to college, he wouldn’t allow her.

“What if you met a boy, Casey-Bear?” he’d ask. “You’d leave me and never come back.”

Casey shuddered at the memory and Barry took notice. “You okay, baby girl?” he asked, concern in his voice. 

Casey nodded, shaking the memory from her head. “Yeah,” she murmured. “Sorry. Thinking.”

Barry hummed. “Oh, give me your phone,” he said quickly. “I want to put our number in it in case you need us.”

Casey bit her lip but unlocked her phone and handed it over to him. He was quick about the whole thing, making noises throughout the whole time. “I’m just gonna put it under ‘Kevin’,” he told her. “It’ll make it easier than trying to decide whose name to choose.”

Casey took her phone back, she thought for a moment before reaching over and hugging Barry. “Thank you,” she whispered. “For driving me back. Tell Hedwig I’m sorry I didn’t say goodbye,” she told him. “And, uh, tell Dennis I’m okay. I’ll be fine. I’ve learned to take care of myself.”

Barry hugged her back gently, nodding along with each of her statements. “I’ll make sure of it,” he told her when she pulled away. “Get some good sleep,” he added as she climbed out of the car and made her way to the front door. She turned back to wave goodbye once and noticed through the tint that Dennis had come back, his glasses pulled from the pocket of the shirt that Barry hadn’t changed - probably knowing he’d be back soon. But she also noticed that he waited until she was inside to leave.

As soon as the door was open, two of the younger kids were at her feet, bouncing with energy. “Casey! Casey!” they cried in unison. “We missed you!”

Casey smiled, ruffling their hair. “I missed you both, too,” she told them.

Her foster mom appeared in the doorway, smiling suspiciously at her. “Hey, Casey,” she murmured. “Kids, why don’t you get in your seats for dinner. Casey, can I talk to you?”

Casey nodded and they both walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. “How was your friend’s?” she asked gently and Casey realized something was wrong. 

“It was fine,” she told her. “What’s up, Janice?” she asked softly.

Her foster mom sighed, giving her a small smile. “Casey, that man,” Casey froze for a second, had she seen Barry? Or Dennis? “Kevin. He was seen around the neighborhood yesterday,” she finished, letting Casey breathe for a second. “I just… I just want you to be safe, okay?”

Casey nodded, taking her hand and squeezing. “Don’t worry. I promise I’ll be extra careful,” despite the fact that she had spent the day with him. 

“Oh, also,” Janice added, obviously trying to change the subject. “Your birthday is coming up. I just… I know you’re done with school, I wanted to ask you something. Are you wanting to stay here for a while?” she said it as if she thought Casey actually would. 

Casey appreciated the offer but sighed. “Janice, you know my plan,” she murmured. “I’ll keep in touch but I have to go my own way. I have to make something of myself.”

Janice looked at her sadly. “You’ve already made something of yourself,” she told her. “You’ve made a great young woman of yourself. A compassionate young woman.”

Casey smiled, looking away. “Uh, Case?” her foster mom said suddenly, causing her to look back at her. “Where’s your jacket?”

Casey hadn’t realized she hadn’t gotten her jacket back from the backseat of the car when Dennis made her take it off. “Oh,” she murmured. “I must have left it at my friend’s. I’ll text and get it back.”

Her foster mom nodded, squeezing her hand again and getting up. “Have fun in your room,” she said with a chuckle, knowing that Casey wasn’t going to eat, she could always tell.

Casey disappeared down the hall to her room, shutting the door gently behind her and going to her bed. She pulled her phone out and found Kevin’s name, clicking on it and sending a quick message. 

**Left my jacket in the car.**

She tossed her phone on the bed and went to her closet to grab some pajamas, hearing her phone chime less than a minute later, though she waited until she was dressed to go look at it. 

**We’ll remember it on your birthday. -D**

Casey frowned a bit. _How did Dennis know that her birthday was coming up?_ But she figured Barry must have told him, so she realized he had been serious about doing something for her birthday. 

**Thanks**

She hit send and climbed into her bed. Her room was the one place that she felt comfortable enough to wear shorts and a tank to bed, the first time she’d done that after John when to jail was terrifying. She was still worried that he would come in at night and do something. She’d laid awake for hours terrified before passing out. 

She didn’t realize how tired she was until she was under her covers and, within seconds, she was asleep.

…

_She was younger. Maybe twelve or thirteen._

_Her bedroom was dark, but she could hear movement in her room. She froze, trying to remain to look asleep. Maybe if her uncle thought she was dead, he’d leave her alone. But he’d heard her wake up._

_Her bed shifted with his weight. “Casey-Bear,” he whispered. “You awake?”_

_She remained silent, biting down so hard on her lip that she tasted blood. “Casey, wake up,” he snapped, shaking her roughly._

_She didn’t want to, so she did the only thing her half-asleep brain could think to do, she threw her arm back and tried to push him away._

_Her uncle froze and Casey knew she’d made a mistake. “You hit me,” his voice was cold, she heard the snap of a pocket knife being opened. She tried to move away, but his arm came over her and held her still. “You know I don’t like doing this,” he muttered. Casey felt her shirt being lifted up, followed by the stinging sensation of it digging into the skin on her stomach. She whimpered, though kept other noises silent._

_She felt her blood start to seep down her stomach and again, she tried to move away. This was her worst idea, as it dug the blade deeper into her skin._

_She opened her mouth to scream._

… 

When Casey woke up, her hand was already over her mouth, stopping a scream from escaping her lips. She was trembling, phantom pain following the dream.

She was breathing heavily, grabbing for her phone in the dark. 

She opened it, finding a number and pressing call.

It rang three times before a groggy voice answered. “Hello?”

She looked at her bedside clock, seeing it was after three in the morning.

“I lied,” she whispered, voice trembling. “I’m not okay.”

“Casey?” the voice asked, more aware now. “Casey, where are you? Do you need to talk to one of the others? Do you need to talk to Barry?”

Casey paused for a moment, before shaking her head, despite the fact that she knew Dennis couldn’t see her. “No, no, sorry, I shouldn’t have called. It’s late,” she whispered, already beginning to look for the hangup button.

“Casey,” Dennis’s voice was gentle, a strange difference from how he normally was. “Talk to me, okay? Just talk. What happened?”

Casey continued shaking her head. “No, it was just a nightmare. I’m okay. I’m okay. I’m sorry.”

Dennis sighed on the other line. “Casey,” he said again. “Tell me what you need.”

Casey paused. “I need out.”

Dennis was quiet. “Out of what?” he asked softly. 

Casey didn’t know. She just knew that she needed out. “I need to forget everything he did,” she whispered. “I need to forget him.”

“Who?” Dennis asked. “The Beast? We told you. He isn’t coming back.”

Casey sobbed quietly. “No,” she stuttered. “No. My uncle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it.
> 
> Find me on Tumblr.
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her foster mom hummed, pulling her hair into a tight ponytail. “What are your plans for today?” she asked her. 
> 
> Casey looked up at her. “I think I’m gonna hang out with my friend again,” she told her. “Maybe go to the mall or something.”
> 
> She watched Janice’s face light up with excitement. “Well have a good time, Case,” she told her. “I gotta run early, I told my boss I’d open for her.”
> 
> She left out the front door, a cold breeze wafting in, and Casey pulled a blanket over herself to keep warm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't get used to me being quick. I just... had nothing else to do today...
> 
> Trigger: Talk of past abuse
> 
> Enjoy, or something

There was absolute silence on the other end of the line. So quiet that Casey was sure Dennis had simply hung up on her. But then she heard a sound. Deep breathing. In and out. Dennis was taking deep breaths. 

_I’ve upset him_ , Casey thought, almost worried. “D-Dennis?” she asked quietly. 

“Casey,” his voice was strained like he was trying to stop something. “Did he,” he took another deep breath. “Is that where the scars are from?”

Casey swallowed thickly, sitting up in her bed and running her hand through her hair, pulling at the knots. She didn’t want to talk about it. “I can’t,” she whispered. “I can’t talk about it. Not over the phone. I can’t.”

Dennis sighed. “I know tomorrow’s Monday,” he murmured. “Do you have school?”

Casey cleared her throat. “I graduated early,” she whispered. “I wanted out of there. They kept looking at me like they thought I should…” she stopped talking. “Never mind.”

“What time does everyone leave your house?” he asked, all traces of grogginess gone from his voice. 

Casey drew her eyebrows together. “Uh, I walk the kids to the bus stop in the morning, normally,” she told him. “But the school’s out so I’ll have to walk them to their daycare.”

“What time?” Dennis repeated, trying to remain calm, sounding like he was trying to keep Casey calm as well. 

“Seven,” Casey answered, voice monotone. “I drop them off at seven, then I normally come back and work on my drawing or read or something.”

She heard Dennis stand up on the other end of the line. “What time do you normally get back to your house?” he questioned. 

Casey thought for a moment, trying to remember. “I get back around 7:40, but my foster mom leaves for work at 8:30.”

“Okay,” Dennis murmured. “We’ll be there at nine,” he told her. “Are you okay if I hang up? You need to get rest.”

Casey held her free hand against her forehead, closing her eyes. “I’ll be okay,” she whispered. “Thank you, Dennis.”

Dennis didn’t say anything aside from a soft, “Goodnight,” and then he hung up.

Casey sat on her bed, staring into the darkness. She knew she was safe here. She would always be safe here until she was no longer here. 

Now that she was off the phone, she realized what she had done. She’d called Dennis at three in the morning, she’d made plans with him tomorrow. Like he hadn’t put her through some of the worst moments of her life. But, she realized, in a way they were so similar. Dennis came out when Kevin was being put through his mother’s abuse. She hated him for what he’d done, but she knew why he had done it. He thought the Beast would protect Kevin in a way he never could. Dennis could protect him from his mother, but the Beast could protect him from everyone. She didn’t blame him for believing what Patricia had told him. She could only blame Patricia or even Kevin’s mother. Maybe that’s who she should blame. If it wasn’t for her none of this would have happened. 

Casey stared down at her phone, at the screensaver of her and her foster family. It was taken last month. Janice had insisted on taking a family photo with them all. It was one of the best moments of her life. 

Casey sighed, sitting her phone down after making sure her alarm was set. She had less than three hours until she had to be up and get the kids ready for daycare. She laid down, closing her eyes, but she knew she wasn’t going to get any more sleep.

…

Her alarm went off after what seemed like only a few minutes. She groaned and rolled out of bed, knowing if she tried to wait a few extra minutes she wouldn’t get out of bed at all. 

There was already small knocking on her door. “I’m up!” she called. “Y’all get dressed. I’ll see you at the table in ten minutes.”

Her foster mom constantly told her that she didn’t need to take the kids so early in the morning, but whenever she didn’t, the kids whined and complained about it. Besides, she enjoyed being able to be in the world before everyone was awake. And she liked taking the kids places. 

Once she was dressed, she walked out and towards the kitchen, grabbing four bowls and filling them each with some cereal and milk, placing a spoon in each. Within seconds she could hear the kids running towards where she was, perfectly fine with waking up so early and full of energy as if it was noon. 

They knew the drill and they all got in a chair, starting to eat. 

“Hey, hey,” Casey hollered. “Don’t scarf it down. Taste the food,” she told them. 

The oldest, at only twelve, laughed through his food, spitting milk onto the table, much to Casey’s disgust, wrinkling her nose at him. 

As they finished their food and tossed the dishes in the sink - Janice insisted Casey let her do their dishes - Casey pushed them towards the front door, handing each of them their own jacket for the walk. Casey regretted not having her own but hoped the two shirts, flannel, and a light jacket would at least keep some of the cold off her. 

“Out the door,” she announced, watching each of them leave. “Buddy system. Grab hands.”

She watched as they each grabbed one another’s hands, laughing and making jokes at each other. 

Down the road, Casey caught sight of a black car hovering at the corner. Casey smiled in spite of herself, bringing her attention to the kids, envious of their happiness. 

They reached the daycare quicker than normal, egged on by the cold and want to be warm again. She hugged each of them before they walked in the door, waving to their daycare provider. 

The walk back was a lonely one, she no longer could see the black car, though she figured he wasn’t far away. 

When she got back to the house, her foster mom was getting ready for work, singing show tunes to herself. It was one of the favorite times of Casey’s day, getting to hear her genuinely be happy. She had no one to pretend for, yet she was unapologetically happy. 

Casey went and laid down on the couch, turning on the news. It was more of the same, this person got robbed, that person did something great. 

Janice appeared in the entryway to the living room, smiling at Casey. “How were the kids this morning?” she asked.

Casey shrugged. “Happy, excited to go to daycare and see their friend. More of the same,” she told her. 

Her foster mom hummed, pulling her hair into a tight ponytail. “What are your plans for today?” she asked her. 

Casey looked up at her. “I think I’m gonna hang out with my friend again,” she told her. “Maybe go to the mall or something.”

She watched Janice’s face light up with excitement. “Well have a good time, Case,” she told her. “I gotta run early, I told my boss I’d open for her.”

She left out the front door, a cold breeze wafting in, and Casey pulled a blanket over herself to keep warm. 

....

Casey didn’t realize she’d fallen asleep until she heard a knock at the front door. It sounded formal, like the one a police officer would have. It startled her and she shot up, running to the door and throwing it open.

She shouldn’t have been surprised to see Dennis standing there, but she still was. Dennis was looking at her concerned. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I can go if you don’t want to come with me anymore. I’d understand.”

Casey shook her head. “No, no, sorry, you just,” she ran her hand over her face. “I must have fallen asleep. You startled me is all.”

Dennis didn’t seem entirely convinced, but he didn’t argue with her, instead stood aside and gestured for her to go towards the car.

Casey shut the door behind her, locking it with her key. “Where are we going?” she asked as they got into the car.

Dennis frowned at her. “Well,” he cleared his throat. “There’s not really many places I can go, I thought we’d just go to our place again.”

Casey nodded. “Oh, yeah,” she murmured. “Sorry. I forgot,” _stupid_. How could you forget that? She mentally berated herself. 

Unlike Barry, Dennis kept the music low, to a point that it was basically not even on. It caused silence in the car that Dennis didn’t seem to know how to fill.

Casey didn’t know how to fill the void either and instead chose to stare out the window at the landscape pass by. 

It was roughly twenty minutes later when they pulled up to the house. Dennis got out and walked around to get the door for Casey, something that surprised her again. 

He seemed awkward about it, clearing his throat and choosing to walk a few steps in front of her. He opened the front door and let her in, pointing towards the door to the basement, and she noticed that it did seem colder up here than it had in the basement. 

As they walked down the stairs, Casey grew anxious. She knew what Dennis would want to talk about. She knew he wouldn’t force her to talk about it, but he would want to know what happened to her for all those years. 

She sat down on the couch, noticing that Dennis pulled a folding chair out and sat it in instead of on one of the more comfortable pieces of furniture. 

“Did you get more sleep last night?” the silence must have been bothering him. 

Casey shrugged. “I got some,” she lied, knowing that Dennis didn’t believe with the way he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at her. 

“Casey,” he murmured. “Please. You called me at three in the morning. You sounded,” he trailed off as if looking for the right word. “Casey, you sounded completely broken. I didn’t even hear you sound like that when… when you were here.”

Casey looked away from him, staring at a spot in the carpet that a thread had been pulled up. She wondered how Dennis hadn’t seen it yet. 

“I had a nightmare,” she whispered. 

“About your uncle,” Dennis said. It wasn’t a question, he just knew. “What did he do to you?”

Casey felt tears welling up in her eyes. She didn’t want to think about this. She didn’t want to think about _him_. “He hurt me,” she choked out, a quiet, broken sob breaking out of her throat. 

Dennis was still staring at her. She could feel his eyes on her as if he were trying to see into her brain so she didn’t have to say what he did to her. “You can tell me,” he said gently. “You don’t have to, but you can.”

Casey looked up at him, tears falling down her face. “He used to,” she choked. “He used to come into my room at night and- and,” she sobbed, covering her face. “If I tried to push him away, or talked back, or if he just felt like it, he would pull out his pocket knife and,” she winced, the words getting caught in her throat. “If I was around when he had a cigarette, he would pull my shirt down or off and would press it into my skin. And then he would tell me how much he loved me.”

She couldn’t talk anymore, the tears flowing freely and sobs breaking out of her. She heard the sound of a chair scuff against the ground, watching through blurry eyes as Dennis walked over to her, sitting next to her on the couch. He seemed awkward sitting there like he didn’t know what to do. Which, Casey imagined, he probably didn’t know what to do. How many crying girls did he deal with on a daily basis?

And then she felt his arm, very gingerly, careful not to scare her, wrap around her shoulders, pulling her into his chest. She felt him trembling slightly as she clutched his shirt and began crying into it. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, his free hand stroking her hair in such a light touch it felt like it wasn’t even there. 

Casey continued to cry until she had cried so much that she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this. 
> 
> Leave kudos, if you want, maybe comment, also if you want.
> 
> Say hi on Tumblr  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was only about halfway through the movie when Hedwig made a noise, climbing off the couch with a frown. “I gotta go,” he mumbled, walking down the hall with his head down. 
> 
> Casey drew her eyebrows together as he walked away, noting that he shut the door behind him this time.
> 
> She turned back to the movie, curling her legs up underneath herself, pulling the blanket up to her chin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another one.  
> This is the most motivation I've had to write a story in a long time, it's weird to even myself. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

For the first time in what, to her, seemed like forever, Casey slept with no dreams. She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep when a thought came into her mind, _you need to wake up_ , the thought was repeating. But she didn’t want to wake up. She was so warm. 

But, against her will, her body was waking. Before her eyes opened, she could tell she was alone on the couch again, although now she was laid down. She could feel a pillow under her head and a blanket over top of her. 

She groaned softly, rolling over and opening her eyes, almost screaming. Sitting directly in front of her face, legs crossed on the ground, was Hedwig. “You came back, _again_ ,” he said excitedly. “Mr. Dennis said you were back, but I didn’t believe him.”

Casey gathered herself, moving into a sitting position. She noticed that Hedwig was in his tracksuit again, arms in the pockets as far as they could go. “Where is Mr. Dennis?” she asked him softly. 

Hedwig frowned. “Do you not wanna hang out with me, Casey?” he asked, voice sad. 

Casey shook her head quickly, reaching out and taking his hand. “No, of course not, Hedwig,” she told him. “I was just wondering where he had gone, that’s all.”

Hedwig was smiling again. “Oh, then, he said he needed to think,” he told her, moving to sit up on the coffee table. “Also, he needed to clean his clothes. But he didn’t say why,” he shrugged as if he couldn’t care less.

Casey realized what he meant. She’d cried all over his shirt, even if he had been comforting her, it must have driven him crazy to have her tears on it. She felt somewhat bad, but then wondered what he’d needed to think about, though she knew Dennis wouldn’t have told Hedwig, he had too big of a mouth to keep it a secret. 

“Do you wanna play a game?” Hedwig asked suddenly. “I have Candy Land. Or, uh, Pictionary,” he struggled to say that word and Casey couldn’t help but smile at him. “I also have Monopoly, but I don’t really know how to play that one,” he twisted his fingers together. 

Casey hummed. “How about we play Candy Land?” she suggested. “I really like that game, but I gotta warn you, I’m really good at it.”

Hedwig scoffed. “I’m great at it, that’s better than good,” he told her, hopping up and running down the hall, opening a door and sounding like he knocked something over, but seeming to ignore it as he came back out with the Candy Land box. “I call the yellow one,” Hedwig said quickly, opening the game and grabbing out the character before Casey could. 

Casey hummed, grabbing the blue one and the board, opening it up and laying it out. Hedwig quickly placed his game piece at the start, with Casey following suit. 

…

They played five games before Hedwig announced that he was done. He’d won three out of the five games, happy every time, grumbling when he would lose to Casey. “I wanna watch a movie,” he told her. “Can we?”

Casey nodded. “Of course we can,” she told him. “What movies do you have?”

Hedwig got up again, running back to his room and coming back with _The Incredibles_ in his hand, holding it up for Casey. “This is my favorite movie,” he told her. 

Casey grinned. “You know what?” she asked, Hedwig cocking his head at her. “That’s my favorite movie too.”

Hedwig’s eyes went wide. “Really?” he asked and Casey nodded to him. “That’s _awesome_.”

Casey hummed as Hedwig went to the small television and turning on the movie. He came running back to where she sat on the couch, plopping down next to her and pulling part of the blanket over himself. 

…

It was only about halfway through the movie when Hedwig made a noise, climbing off the couch with a frown. “I gotta go,” he mumbled, walking down the hall with his head down. 

Casey drew her eyebrows together as he walked away, noting that he shut the door behind him this time.

She turned back to the movie, curling her legs up underneath herself, pulling the blanket up to her chin. 

A few minutes later, she heard the door open again but chose to continue watching the cartoon on the screen. She heard footsteps approach her. “You don’t have to keep watching, uh, if you don’t want to,” a voice told her. 

She finally looked up, seeing Dennis standing near the couch, cleaning his glasses gently. “I like this movie,” she told him. “But if you don’t want to watch it, that’s okay. We can shut it off.”

Dennis didn’t make a move to shut it off, standing in one place. “Are you hungry?” he asked suddenly. “It’s just past noon.”

Casey shrugged. “I could eat,” she told him. “I’m not starving though.”

He nodded, turning away from her and walking towards the kitchen. Casey thought to follow him, but he seemed to want to be alone. 

After a few minutes, she heard noises in the kitchen, clattering of pans and such, noises that she didn’t imagine Dennis would be making. She stood, confused, and walked cautiously towards the kitchen. Whoever was in there, they were dressed differently than Dennis had been just a handful of minutes earlier. 

They were dressed in a pale pinkish sweater and a pair of light washed jeans. They hadn’t yet noticed Casey was in the room. Whoever it was, was making food for them. Two turkey sandwiches, from what Casey could see. There was also something in the microwave, though Casey couldn’t tell what it was. 

Casey cleared her throat softly, watching the person jump slightly and turn around. “Oh!” they exclaimed. “You must be Casey,” it was a girl, she could tell by the voice. Tell in the way they were holding themselves. “Do you like turkey? I guess I should have asked before I started making them, but I just kind of assumed it was simple enough that you’d like it. Also, there’s some cheddar and broccoli rice in the microwave.”

Casey tried to keep up with what she was saying, eyes glancing at the microwave, where now she could smell the cheese and broccoli. “Turkey is okay,” she told them. “Rice is good too, uh…” she trailed off. 

They smiled. “Oh, right, sorry,” they said. “I’m Jade. We met briefly,” she explained, Casey realized that she did recognize the voice, less hectic now.

Casey nodded. “Right,” she murmured. “I remember.”

She took a seat at the table, remaining silent as Jade made lunch, the girl humming to herself much like Barry would do. Casey wanted to ask why Jade was here now but didn’t want to seem rude, so she didn’t. 

When the rice was done, Jade plated a few spoonfuls of it and the sandwiches on two separate plates, turning back to Casey and placing one down in front of her. “Do you want something to drink? We have water, milk, some pop,” she waited for Casey to answer. 

“Just water is okay,” Casey told her. Jade didn’t argue, shrugging her shoulders and getting two glasses of water, before sitting down next to Casey. 

Jade didn’t wait for Casey to start eating, beginning to eat as soon as she sat down. Casey followed along, eating slowly. 

“It’s good,” Casey told her after a few bites. 

Jade smiled, nodding her head. “Barry always says he’s the best cook but honestly, all he does is throw frozen meals in the oven or heat up ravioli on the stove. Some days he would actually make meals, but those are rare, he likes to do things quickly,” she told her. “Dennis doesn’t really make food,” she rolled her eyes. “He says it makes too much of a mess. He really hates when Barry makes food, though, because he never cleans his dishes. I’m not a monster though, so I wash my dishes.”

Casey couldn’t help the small chuckle that left her lips. She’d witnessed Barry refuse to do his dishes the day before, but apparently, it was a common occurrence. 

They lapsed back into silence, each eating their own food. When they were done, Jade took the dishes and washed them in the sink, leaving them out to dry. “It was good to officially meet you, Casey,” she told her. “I’m gonna give the light back to Dennis, now that you’ve got food in you.”

Before Casey could say anything back, it was obvious Dennis was back. He groaned, looking at the clothes he was in, leaving the room in silence to go change. 

Casey remained where she was until Dennis was back. “How was lunch?” he asked her, standing in the doorway. “Was Jade hospitable?”

Casey stood from the table. “The food was good,” she told him. “And Jade was nice. She didn’t talk much though,” she added.

Dennis made a face. “That’s both good and bad,” he mumbled, gesturing for Casey to leave the kitchen. “She normally talks a lot, but at least she didn’t say anything inappropriate.”

Casey smiled, walking out to the living room again. The movie had finished and the credits were rolling. She watched Dennis walk and shut the television off. 

“Is there, uh, is there anything you’d like to talk about?” Dennis asked her, once again finding himself in the folding chair on the other side of the room. “Do you want to talk about earlier.”

Casey looked down at her hands. She had hoped Dennis wouldn’t bring it up again, though she knew it was foolish to hope. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I shouldn’t have unloaded all that on to you. It wasn’t fair of me to do that to you. And I’m really sorry that I cried on you,” she grimaced. “And that I fell asleep on you.”

Dennis waited until she was done talking, arms crossed as he watched her. “I’m glad you told me,” he murmured. “It’s no good to keep things inside. We’re lucky in a way that we have multiple other people to talk to in our own head. You only have yourself.”

Casey noticed that he didn’t mention her crying on him. She moved, sitting down on the table in front of him, watching as he didn’t move a muscle, eyes on her face. 

Casey reached out to touch him, though as soon as she got close, he stood up quickly. “What time do you need to get home?” he asked, standing behind the chair, putting distance between them. It was startling to Casey, the sudden movement away from her, but she assumed that he had a reason for it. 

“I need to get the kids around two,” she told him softly, looking back down at her hands. 

Dennis shuffled his feet. “It’s almost one-thirty,” he murmured. “We should start getting you back.”

 

He didn’t say anything else, walking away from her and up the stairs. Casey followed him out to the car. 

…

The car ride was in total silence. Dennis stared out the front of the car windshield, hands never leaving the ten and two position on the steering wheel. 

As they pulled up to Casey’s foster house, Dennis put the car in park. “Thank you,” Casey murmured. “For today. I appreciated it. It was nice to talk about things.”

Dennis nodded, still not looking over at her.

Casey took that as a sign to leave, sighing as she opened the door and climbed out, walking around the car towards the house. 

She didn’t hear the window roll down, but she heard her name being called. “Casey,” Dennis called. She turned back to look at him. He was looking at her, his eyes looking apologetic. “If you need anything tonight, we’re only a phone call away.”

He fell silent again. Casey repeated, “Thank you,” though it was quiet. She turned, unlocking and opening the front door. When she turned back again, the car and Dennis were gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy this chapter. I don't know if the next chapter will be up today or tomorrow. I'm hoping to write at least one more this week, but the next two days are gonna be really hectic for me, between work and school. I'll try to get another one out for you guys.  
> Thank you so much for all your comments, you have no idea how much I appreciate them all.
> 
> Say hi on Tumblr  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What was she supposed to do? Last night, in the midst of a nightmare, she had called Dennis, and it had helped her. She shouldn’t do that again. She shouldn’t have done it in the first place. She should have let Barry drop her off and left it at that. She should have gone back. 
> 
> But he was different now, right? She couldn’t stop thinking about it. He had changed. He wanted to change. He felt bad for what he had done to her. He had helped the other alters repress Patricia and the Beast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoooo, one more chapter before the night's over. I feel pretty accomplished. Anyways, here ya go, enjoy

Later that night, Casey was helping the twelve-year-old with his homework, something he despised. “I don’t get it, Casey,” he complained. “We’re on Christmas break, why do I gotta do homework still?”

Casey chuckled, ruffling his hair. “Well, kiddo,” she murmured. “They just want to make sure you remember everything when you’re on a break. So you don’t go back forgetting all they taught you. They don’t want to teach it all over again.”

He groaned, glaring down at his math homework. If he could set it on fire with a look, the whole house would be in flames now. Her foster mom stood in the doorway, smiling at the two of them. “Casey,” she murmured. Casey looked up at her, noting the slightly worried look in her eyes. “Seth, can you give Casey and me a moment?” she asked. Casey watched Seth jump up quickly, excited to not have to do any more homework, rushing out of the room. 

Janice sat down in the chair that Seth had just vacated, wringing her hands together. “What’s wrong?” Casey asked carefully, worried that she somehow knew where she had been all day. 

Janice sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Look,” Casey froze slightly, _she knows_. “I don’t want to worry you. But some of the neighbors have been seeing a dark car around the neighborhood. No one knows who it belongs to. I just… I want you to keep an eye out, okay?” Casey nodded. She didn’t know, she was just worried about a car. _It’s his car, Casey_. “I’m gonna take the kids to daycare this week. I just want you to be extra vigilant. At least while you’re under my roof. For the next eight days, you’re still my responsibility. And I love you like my own. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Casey reached out, taking her hand and squeezing. “I’ll be safe,” she whispered. “I promise. I’ll keep an eye out. I’ll always have my phone on me. It’ll be okay.”

She realized what she was doing. She was lying. She’d never lied to her foster mom in the two months she’d been here. She was lying. She wasn’t okay. She wasn’t being safe. She was with her _kidnapper_ today. This was practically Stockholm syndrome. What was she doing? She didn’t notice her hand had started shaking. “Casey?” Janice asked. “Are you okay?”

Casey nodded, taking a deep breath. “I need, I need a minute,” she whispered, standing from the table. Her leg was throbbing again and she realized that this was the first time it had done this all day. The whole day she had spent with Dennis and the rest, but her leg hadn’t hurt that entire time. 

She walked to her room, catching Seth and the youngest looking at her from their doorway. She tried to smile at them, but she knew that it fell short. 

Casey shut the door behind her, locking it quickly. Her breath was coming out in quick spurts. _Breathe_ , she thought to herself. _Deep breaths, Casey_. Her whole body was shaking, she could feel a panic attack coming on. 

What was she supposed to do? Last night, in the midst of a nightmare, she had called Dennis, and it had helped her. She shouldn’t do that again. She shouldn’t have done it in the first place. She should have let Barry drop her off and left it at that. She shouldn’t have gone _back_. 

But he was different now, right? She couldn’t stop thinking about it. He had changed. He wanted to change. He felt bad for what he had done to her. He had helped the other alters repress Patricia and the Beast. 

Her phone was in her hand before she realized it. She was dialing his number without knowing what she was doing. 

“Casey?” Dennis’s voice seemed confused. They’d only been apart a few hours. _What was she doing?_ “Casey, are you okay?” she was too quiet, but what was she supposed to say?

“No,” she whimpered, the only word that she could make come out of her mouth. “No.”

_Don’t cry._

Dennis cleared his throat. He’d said something and she hadn’t heard him. 

“What?” she asked, voice so silent it was barely there.

Dennis sighed. “What happened?” he asked gently, though Casey could only think that he sounded annoyed at her. “Talk to me,” his voice was gruff. 

Casey didn’t know what to say. Should she tell him the truth, that she was terrified that he was going to hurt her, was going to do something to her that she could never come back from. “They saw your car,” was all she managed to get out. “The Neighbors. They didn’t know it was you, but they’ve seen you around. They don’t trust people they don’t know.”

Dennis was quiet like he was mulling over what she had just said. “And what about you?” he finally asked. “Do you trust me?”

Casey stared out the window in her room. There was an old oak tree out there, a yellow ribbon wrapped around it. It was for Janice’s brother, who had been oversees in the army. If you looked up in the branches, you would see a black ribbon wrapped up among them, because he had died over there as well. 

“Casey,” Dennis’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Do you trust me?”

Casey wiped a tear from her cheek, one she hadn’t even felt come to her eye. “I don’t know,” she said honestly, voice breaking midway through. “I don’t know. I’m scared.”

Dennis made a noise that Casey didn’t recognize, it almost sounded hurt. “Talk to me,” he told her softly. “Tell me what I can do to make you trust me.”

Casey continued to look at that faded yellow ribbon, she didn’t know what to tell him. She didn’t know. “Why did you come back for me?” she asked after minutes of silence. 

She could hear Dennis move something, though she didn’t know what, she figured he was stress cleaning. He must have found something wrong while she was talking. “Because I owed you,” he finally said. “I still owe you. I owe you everything, Casey. After what we… after what _I_ put you through, I owe you. I could have gone about it another way. I _should_ have gone about it a different way, but I didn’t know what else to do. I knew you wouldn’t come willingly and you shouldn’t come willingly, but I had to tell you that I was sorry.”

Amidst his speech, Casey had begun openly crying, tears wetting her shirt. She heard the sound of his car starting up, but she was too afraid to ask where he was going. “Casey,” his voice sound strained. “Casey I need to get off the phone with you, okay? I can’t be on it while I’m driving. I’ll text you as soon as I can, okay?” 

Casey nodded, though she knew it would be impossible for him to see her. “Where are you going?” she asked quietly. 

Dennis sighed. “I’m coming to get you. I need to explain this all in person,” he told her. “It will mean more if it’s face to face.”

He didn’t say anything else, so Casey whispered a quiet, “Okay,” before he hung up the phone.

…

Casey walked from her room about ten minutes later, after she had composed herself, cleaned her face off. 

Janice was in the kitchen still, taking her role of helping Seth with his math. “You okay, Casey?” she asked when she saw her.

Casey nodded, running her hand through her hair. “Do you mind if I spend the night at my friend’s house?” she asked softly. 

Janice pulled her eyebrows together, raising one up. “You’ve been spending a lot of time at this friend’s house. When do I get to meet her?” she asked. 

Casey shrugged. “I just… I want to make sure she’s really my friend before I bring her home for dinner, you know?”

Janice smiled, nodding her head. “I understand that,” she told her. “I guess since it’s Christmas break and you don’t have school anymore, I don’t see anything wrong with it. Just as long as you guys are safe.”

Casey nodded quickly. “I promise,” she told her, taking her hand and squeezing it. 

She heard her phone chime and she looked down at it. 

**I’m here. -D**

“She’s here,” she announced, walking to the door. Janice looked out the kitchen window, frowning and standing up. 

“Who’s car is that?” she asked quickly, worry in her voice.

Casey realized she had to make something up. “It’s her brother’s car,” she told her. “She doesn’t have her own, so she bribes him to drive her around. Is that the car people have been seeing?”

Janice continued to stare outside. With the darkness along with the tinted windows, Casey knew she wouldn’t be able to see Dennis behind the wheel. “I think it might be,” she whispered. “I guess this is a good explanation. People can stop worrying.”

Casey smiled, kissing her cheek before walking out of the front door, waving to the kids through the window. She walked to the car, climbing in the passenger seat quickly. 

Dennis didn’t look at her and Casey noticed that he was white-knuckling the steering wheel. He was upset. Casey wanted to say something, but she couldn’t think of the proper words, so she looked out the window and passed time by counting the houses they drove by.

When they pulled up to the house, Dennis stopped the car and pulled the keys out of the ignition. He dropped his hands to his lap, looking out the front window still. After a few moments, he shook his head, climbing out of the car and walking towards the door. Casey followed behind him, staring at the back of his head. 

She followed him inside, down the stairs to the basement, and watched as he disappeared down the hallway. She wondered if she should follow after him, but a few seconds later she heard the sound of something hitting a wall, and she figured it best to stay where she was, standing at the base of the stairs. 

He came back a few seconds later, rubbing his hand over his head, what Casey was starting to chalk up as a nervous tick. “I’m sorry,” he told her. “For everything I’ve done to you. For making you believe us to be a monster.”

Casey shook her head. “I don’t believe you’re a monster,” she whispered. 

Dennis frowned, standing a few paces away from her. “You should,” he murmured. “You should believe I’m a monster. I’ve hurt you. I-” he shook his head, looking down, his jaw clenching. “You don’t trust me.”

Casey stared at him. “It’s not that,” she said quietly. “I know you’ve changed. I know you feel remorse for what you did. A monster wouldn’t feel remorse-”

“How do you know I’m not faking it?” Dennis cut in, staring at her again.

Casey swallowed, stepping a few steps closer to him. She was just within arms reach and she carefully stretched one arm out and laid her hand on the arm that he had crossed over the other. “Because, if you were a monster, you would’ve hurt me already.”

Dennis stared into her eyes, looking for any sign that she was scared, that she was going to run away from him. He carefully took his free arm, lifting the hand and placing it on her own. 

Casey felt the corners of her mouth twitch up slightly. “I trust you,” she whispered, and suddenly, she realized that she truly meant it. 

Dennis dropped his arms. “You can sleep in my room,” he announced, immediately picking up on the confused look in her eyes. “I’ll sleep out here. I don’t want to make you sleep on the couch or the cot again.”

Casey couldn’t help it, she smiled truly. “Oh,” she coughed out. “I, uh, I don’t have pajamas,” she’d left before packing a bag. Dennis coughed and Casey quickly shook her head. “Actually I can sleep in this. I’ve slept in jeans before, it’s no big deal.”

Dennis frowned. “No, no,” he told her. “I have some sweats you can borrow, they’ll probably be too big, but they should work. And I have a t-shirt you can use.”

Casey watched him turn away from her and make his way down to his room, stepping inside. She heard him rummaging around, followed by the sound of things being put back in place, before coming back with a pair of gray sweats and a black t-shirt in his hands. “Here,” he murmured, dropping his gaze as he handed them to her. “You can change in the bathroom, there’s a, uh, laundry basket in there. I can wash your clothes for tomorrow,” he offered.

Casey smiled, taking the clothes from him and going to the bathroom to change. She looked at herself in the mirror, and couldn’t help but notice that Dennis’s cologne clung to the clothes he gave her. 

She tossed her own clothes into the black laundry basket behind the door, walking back out. Dennis wasn’t in the living room anymore, but she heard noise coming from his room, so she made her way back there. 

He was in the closet, appearing with a stack of blankets and a pillow. He stopped when he saw Casey standing there, swallowing thickly. “Uh, the bed is ready whenever you want to sleep,” he told her.

“I feel bad,” Casey murmured. “Are you sure you’re okay with me taking your bed?”

Dennis nodded, walking towards her and inching his way out of the door. “Of course. I wouldn’t have offered it if I wasn’t sure.”

Casey gave him a small parting smile as he shut the door, staring at the room. There were a few pictures, no people in them, mostly clothes or scenery. She shut the light off, cautiously walking through the dark to the bed, crawling under the covers and curling up on one side, a habit she’d always had. 

She took a deep breath, noting once again that Dennis’s cologne clung to the bedspread and pillows as well, before slipping into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for all your comments. I can't even fathom why people read - or even like - the stories I write, so it's comforting.
> 
> Come say hi on Tumblr or something  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Those few words made his decision clear to him and he carefully opened the door. Casey was on the left side of the bed, curled into a small ball like a child. She was clutching the blanket in a white-knuckled fist, tears falling onto the pillow beneath her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a nightmare that someone was trying to kill me and I couldn't get out of wherever I was. I blame this story for that. 
> 
> Have another chapter.

Dennis had fixed his makeshift couch bed seven times in the last half hour. Every time he thought he had it right, he’d find something out of place.

He hadn’t heard anything from his room for around twenty minutes and he assumed Casey had already fallen asleep.

He gave up for the moment, sighing as he ran his hand over his head. He sat down on the folding chair, resting his elbows on his knees and his head on his hands.

He heard his dryer go off, realizing that he hadn’t changed yet. He had thrown some pajamas in the wash earlier, changing them to the dryer before he went to pick up Casey. He was relieved that he could change, he knew his clothes had gotten dusty throughout the day.

He stood up, meandering down the hall to the laundry room. He opened the dryer, grabbing out some black sweats and a gray shirt, the exact opposite of what he had given Casey to wear. He shut the door behind him, changing quickly and already putting his own clothes in the washer. He began pulling out the other clothes from the dryer, folding them and placing them on top of the machine. 

Dennis had only folded a handful of clothes when the first few noises drifted to the room he was in. They were muffled by the door so, frowning, he turned the knob and looked out. 

It was easier to hear now and he realized the noises were coming from his own room. They sounded like muffled sobs and even a few quiet screams, so he walked over, gingerly tapping on the door. “Casey?” he asked quietly, gaining no response from her.

He didn’t know what to do. Should he open the door? Should he leave her alone? It was obvious she was sleeping by the fact that she didn’t react in any way to him knocking. 

He was still debating what to do when Casey finally let some scared words out. “Please, no,” she whimpered. “Stay away. Don’t hurt me. Please.”

Those few words made his decision clear to him and he carefully opened the door. Casey was on the left side of the bed, curled into a small ball like a child. She was clutching the blanket in a white-knuckled fist, tears falling onto the pillow beneath her. 

Dennis had a strange feeling in his gut upon seeing the sight in front of him. It was the same thing he had felt the night before when Casey had called him in tears. _What is this?_ He asked himself.

“Don’t hurt me, please,” Casey whimpered again and Dennis had to close his eyes. She sounded so broken and scared. 

Dennis took a few steps closer, still keeping distance between the bed and himself. “Casey?” he asked carefully.

Casey flinched in her sleep, curling in tighter on herself. “Please, don’t,” she whispered. “I’ll do whatever you say. Please let me go. I won’t tell anyone it was you.”

That’s when everything seemed to click into place for Dennis. He’d assumed she was dreaming about her uncle as she had the night before, but those few words changed the course of his thoughts. He realized she was dreaming about _him._ Him and everything they’d put her through. She was trying to plead for her life. 

Dennis’s throat got tight and he almost took a step back away from Casey’s sleeping form. He was conflicted. He felt like he should both go towards her and away from her. He didn’t know how to help her. _We put her here_ , his mind was shouting at him. _You have to help her._

Dennis swallowed thickly, walking to the opposite side of the bed than the one she was curled towards. He was worried if she woke up to see him standing over her, it would scare her more than it would help her. 

“Casey,” he said again, seeing if it would get any reaction from her. When it didn’t, he reached forward and touched her arm. 

It seemed like that was all she needed to wake up, the touch of someone or something in the real world instead of the dream world she was stuck in. But her reaction wasn’t one Dennis expected.

Casey startled awake, rolling away from the touch on her arm in fear. Dennis watched her fall off the side of the bed, her head hitting the corner of the bedside table. She hit the ground with a dull _thud_ , followed by immediate silence.

Dennis stood, stuck in place by fear. How hard had she hit her head? The silence caused him to begin breathing heavily. In a few seconds, though, he heard quiet sobs coming from where she had landed. 

Dennis ran around the bed as quickly as his feet could carry him. Casey was once again curled into a ball, though her hand was cradling the side of her head. “Casey?” this time, when he said her name, her eyes blinked blearily, still with a small hint of fear in them. Tears were slipping down her cheeks in rivers. 

Dennis knelt down next to her. “Can I look at your head?” he asked gently, reaching his hands out, palms up so she could see that he didn’t have anything that could hurt her. 

Casey tried to push herself up, but it was obvious that she was out of it from both the fall, hitting her head, and from just waking up, so Dennis gingerly helped pull her into a sitting position. 

She turned her head so he could see where she had hit it and Dennis moved her hair around to make sure there was no blood. When he found that all she had was a bump, he felt himself let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. “Okay,” he whispered. “Okay. I think… I think you’re gonna be okay. There’s no blood, which is good.”

Casey nodded sleepily, still not entirely awake, perhaps she thought this was still part of her dream. “Can I put you back on the bed?” he asked softly, earning another nod from her. 

Dennis lifted her carefully, cradling the back of her head to make sure it didn’t fall. He felt one of her arms wrap around his neck, curling against his chest. 

He sat her down on the bed softly, further away from the edge than before, making sure she wouldn’t fall off again. He tried to slide her arms from around his neck but realized she’d grabbed hold of the t-shirt he was wearing. “Casey, I have to put you down now,” he whispered. 

But Casey shook her head and Dennis realized she was trembling, still crying, and sobs were racking their way through her body. “Don’t leave,” she whimpered. “Don’t leave me alone. Please.”

Dennis didn’t know what to do, his mind shouting different things. _You don’t deserve to be here with her_ , one part was saying, _she’s better off alone, without you making her life difficult and dangerous._ But the other part was yelling just as loudly, _she wants you to stay,_ it was screaming, _she doesn’t want you to go, stay with her._

The latter part of his brain won out, though, and as he laid her fully down, he found himself propped up against the pillows. He held still as Casey turned, seeming to crawl closer to him. She pulled the arm that had been behind him close to her chest, her other hand wrapping itself in the front of his shirt, holding on to it like a lifeline. 

Her eyes were closed and Dennis could tell when she’d finally slipped off the sleep again. When her tears stopped flowing as heavily and her breathing began to even out, when her hand wrapped in his shirt loosened a bit, though it still held on to the fabric there. He ran one hand over her back, trying to coax her deeper into her sleep.

His plan had been to get her to sleep and then unravel her from around him, making his way back out to the couch and leaving her alone again. He didn’t feel worthy of laying here next to her, didn’t feel like he deserved to be this close. Deserved to have her holding on to him like it was all she had left.

He heard her talking again in her sleep, three simple words mumbled against his shirt. “I trust you,” and then silence again.

He thought, maybe he had enough time that he could stay here a bit longer, just to make sure she was really, truly asleep. To make sure that she wouldn’t wake up alone in the dark again.

Dennis hadn’t realized how tired he had become, however. How much energy had been taken from him when he thought she was really hurt, laying there on the ground.

The position he was in was far from comfortable, though when he tried to shift it a little, he felt Casey’s hand tighten on his shirt, a small whimper leave her lips, and he chose instead to remain as he was. 

He didn’t mean to fall asleep, but by staying in one single position, his body began to succumb to the effects of exhaustion on his brain. And within twenty minutes of Casey falling asleep, he felt his own eyes get heavy and shut, he felt his breathing even out, and then he had no thoughts left in his mind as he fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this.
> 
> Say hi on Tumblr or something
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dennis shook his head, seeming to look over the distance between them. He must have been confused over why she had moved away, but he also seemed to understand. Casey wondered what he was thinking, what he thought the reason for the distance was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one is pretty short, but I don't know if I'll get another chapter out tomorrow (technically today) so I wanted to get one out. I'm also sorry if there are any grammatical errors, I did this at about eleven (and finished it just now, at almost one in the morning). I just wanted to make sure I gave you all another chapter. I feel like I need to keep up with this quick updating...

Casey wasn’t sure where she was when she woke up. She knew it wasn’t her own room, simply based on the fact that the bed felt wrong, or, no, it wasn’t the bed. It was the lack thereof bed. She blinked slowly, wondering if she was still in a dream, imagining that she wasn’t on a bed. But, as her eyes finally opened, she realized what she was laying on. Or who she as laying on. 

Dennis was propped up on the pillows in a position that no doubt would cause him to wake up with pain throughout his back. One of her arms was numb from where she was laying on it and her other hand was knotted up in Dennis’s shirt. He wasn’t wearing his glasses and she noted that they were on the side table. 

But why was she laying in bed with him? Her heart started pounding, thoughts running through her head. She didn’t remember him coming into the room last night and she certainly didn’t remember curling up next to him.

Despite claiming to trust him, she found herself looking about her body, feeling awful as she checked to make sure she still had all her clothes on. Her pants were still tied up over her hips and she let out a shaky sigh. 

She untangled her hand from his shirt, realizing that after she did, she felt like she had lost something. She moved slowly to the other side of the bed, pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She felt bad, horrible really, for thinking that Dennis would do something like that to her. 

Casey wanted to believe he had changed, she really did. But every time she felt good, safe, with him, her mind wandered to the past. To him bringing her to the zoo. To Patricia assuring them that he “wasn’t allowed to touch” them. She swallowed thickly, covering her mouth to keep from making a noise that would wake him up. 

It was as if he had suddenly realized that Casey was no longer snuggled against him, and Dennis began shifting in his sleep. Casey couldn’t help but laugh as, even asleep, he brought his arms up and crossed them over his chest.

She tried to cover her mouth against the laugh, but Dennis appeared to have already heard it, and his eyes moved under his eyelids. Casey, still curled up, waited for him to wake up. It was only a few minutes later when he did, frowning as his eyes began opening. 

“Casey?” he asked groggily, reaching for his glasses and putting them on. “How long have you been awake?”

Casey coughed. “Not long,” she murmured, eyes glancing over him. It was strange seeing Dennis in a t-shirt instead of his signature dark button-up covering his arms. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Dennis shook his head, seeming to look over the distance between them. He must have been confused over why she had moved away, but he also seemed to understand. Casey wondered what he was thinking, what he thought the reason for the distance was.

“Dennis,” Casey began, looking down at her hands, thinking about how grounded she had felt when one had been curled in his shirt. “When did you come in here?” she asked, voice soft like a mouse, something she hated. She hated being quiet, hated feeling small.

Dennis made a confused noise and Casey brought her eyes up to look at him again. “You don’t remember?” he questioned, earning a shake of her head. “You had a nightmare.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, visions began flashing through her head. 

_She was in the bunker again, running. She couldn’t see anyone behind her, but she knew he was back there, she could hear him._

_There was growling and screaming, animalistic noises bouncing off the walls behind her._

_She made it to a door but was knocked down, a large pain blowing through her leg, heat searing in. This time the scream came from her._

_She got up, trying to continue to run, but she knew she was slowing down. She wasn’t going to make it. She felt tears pouring down her face, making it hard to see where she was running through the blurriness._

_She made it to a cage, throwing the door closed behind her. She should have a shotgun, but it wasn’t there anymore. **Where was it?** The Beast was coming closer and all she could do was try and beg._

_“Please,” she whimpered. “Please don’t hurt me. I haven’t even gotten to live yet.”_

The scene stopped and Dennis was still there in front of her, clear as day. Real. He was real. It was just a dream. She wasn’t going to be hurt anymore, not by him. 

“Oh,” she whispered, the one syllable sounding apologetic. “I didn’t- I’m sorry. It wasn’t-”

Dennis shook his head, cutting her off. “You don’t have to pretend it wasn’t about me,” he told her. “I know it was. And… It’s not your fault that you dreamt that. It’s mine. I know it’s mine. I put you through the worst thing imaginable. You should see me like that, as a monster who could hurt you. A monster who _did_ hurt you.”

Casey could see his eyes shining now, her heart aching. He was about to cry. _He did change_ , the thought was running through her mind. The Dennis before wouldn’t have teared up like this. A person who didn’t feel remorse wouldn’t act like this. _Right?_

Casey wanted to move towards him, to take his hand and tell him that everything was okay now. That she was okay now, but a blinding pain flashed through her head suddenly, causing her to hold tight to the sides of her face and squeeze her eyes shut. 

She felt the bed move, a solid movement and then someone - Dennis - was holding his hands over her own. “Are you in pain?” he asked gently. She nodded, unable to get words to come out. “You hit your head last night. I scared you when I tried to wake you up. I’ll go grab you some aspirin and water, okay?”

She nodded again, the pain so awful she felt like she was going to throw up. The urge grew stronger and she rolled off the bed, running towards the bathroom, passing Dennis on the way. “Casey?” he asked, confusion evident in his voice, but Casey kept running. 

The bathroom was barely close enough and she was throwing up seconds after reaching it. She heard footsteps nearing the door and she cast a glance over to it, noticing that she couldn’t see Dennis. This must have been awful to him. “I’m okay,” she said after she finished, though her body was shaking. “I’m okay. I’ll clean it,” she offered, pulling herself up on the sink, turning the faucet on and sipping the water, splashing some extra onto her face.

Dennis was in the doorway now, though he kept glancing towards the toilet bowl. “You aren’t going to clean it,” he murmured, reaching a shaky hand out to her. “You need to get back laying down. I’ll clean it,” he told her, she noted that he had the medicine and drink in his other hand.

She gingerly took his hand, letting him carefully lead her back to the room, helping her sit down. He gave her the pills and the water, making sure that she swallowed it. “Good,” he whispered. “Now, why don’t you lay down? I don’t think you have a concussion but I just want to make sure. I’m not sure how to though,” he admitted. “So I’m just gonna monitor you for the next couple hours, okay?” Casey nodded. “I’ll let you go back to sleep, but I’m going to wake you up every hour just to check on you.”

Casey listened carefully, nodding when she felt like she needed to. Finally, he nodded once, leaving the room, though he left the door slightly ajar. She closed her eyes, welcoming the darkness instead of the light that was causing her a migraine. She wasn’t alone long, though, as she heard the door open again and looked to see Dennis with a wet rag. “I, uh, don’t know if this will help,” he told her, but he folded it - a few times, making sure it was perfect - and laid it across her forehead.

He left again and soon Casey heard the sound of the sink in the bathroom running along with the sounds of spray bottles. _He’s cleaning,_ she thought. She felt bad, but also incredibly tired, and within a few minutes of listening, she was fast asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on Tumblr, I answer back there better than I respond to comments (though it may take me an hour or so to answer, I like napping)
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey didn’t know how long she’d been asleep for when she woke again. The clock next to the bed read that it was just after eleven. It was the latest she’d slept in in a long time.
> 
> There was music flowing through the basement and it took her less than a second to realize that Dennis was no longer in the light.
> 
> Based on the music, upbeat and happy, she assumed Barry must be there now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should have been eating and getting ready for work, but, uh, here's another chapter instead.

The bathroom was spotless once Dennis was done. He couldn’t smell anything but cleaning products, the sting of the smell welcome to him. He stood back, looking over his work and ensuring that every single surface was cleaned. It gave him time to think.

When he’d woken up, Casey had moved to the opposite side of the bed, curled up like she was afraid. At first, Dennis thought she must have had another nightmare, but he could tell that she was wide awake. She wasn’t scared of a dream, she was scared of reality. He could tell in her eyes. She as scared that he had done something.

And it wasn’t like he could blame her. He knew his past, he knew that she knew part of it. He grit his teeth together. He didn’t realize how much he _wanted_ her to trust him until he knew that she didn’t. No matter how much she claimed to trust him, there was a piece of thought in her mind that caused her some unrest. 

He clenched his fists together. It wasn’t that he was upset with her, but he was angry with himself. He’d caused her to feel this way. He’d believed what Patricia had said about the impure. The Beast was going to _kill_ Casey. 

Dennis took a deep breath. He didn’t know what he would have done if Casey had died before they’d seen the scars marring her skin. Those were the only things that stopped the Beast from killing her. She wasn’t even supposed to be there. She wasn’t supposed to be in that car. 

But, and the thought made him feel worse if she hadn’t have been in that car or if she hadn’t have been in the wrong place at the wrong time, he never would have met her. The Beast would have completely taken over, Patricia would have been second in command. But because of her, they were both being repressed. The alters were in harmony again.

Dennis felt bad when another thought popped into his head, _maybe she was in the wrong place at the right time._

Dennis walked from the bathroom, going into the kitchen and sitting at the table, laying his head in his hands.

His thoughts were running rampant now. And they were all centered around the girl sleeping in his bed right now. 

He sighed, running his hand over his face. He reached behind him and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen.

_Casey is asleep in our bed. She hit her head last night, but I think she’ll be okay. She just needs to sleep off her headache. When she wakes up, she’ll need to eat some food. Take her home when she wants you to. I need to think over things I’m feeling. Take care of her. -Dennis_

He finished the note, laying it down in front of him. He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and letting someone else come to the light. 

…

Casey didn’t know how long she’d been asleep for when she woke again. The clock next to the bed read that it was just after eleven. It was the latest she’d slept in in a long time.

There was music flowing through the basement and it took her less than a second to realize that Dennis was no longer in the light.

Based on the music, upbeat and happy, she assumed Barry must be there now.

She rubbed her eyes, wiping the sleep away, and sat up in the bed. She thought about sitting there for a while, but the smell of food began wafting into the room and she realized how hungry she was.

The headache she had had dulled down, she barely noticed it now. If she focused on it, she could pinpoint where it was radiating from, but she tried not to think about it too much.

She stood up, taking a deep breath to get through the dizziness she felt as the blood rushed through her body. 

She walked out of the bedroom, making her way towards the kitchen. The closer she got, she could hear singing floating out and it made her smile.

Casey peered into the room, unsurprised to see Barry dancing around. He was still in the same pajamas that Dennis had been wearing, but now he had his beanie back on his head and no glasses upon his nose.

“Barry?” she didn’t know why she said it like a question, but she knew that’s how it sounded. 

Barry, startled, turned around quickly, a pan in his hand. “Casey!” he said excitedly. “I’m making eggs,” he added, placing the pan back on the stove. “I also have some cinnamon rolls in the oven. We need to go to the grocery store very badly,” he paused. “Or, technically, we need to have delivery from the grocery store.”

Casey smiled slightly, sitting down at the table. There was a white sheet of paper on the other side and she saw Dennis’s name written there in a formal font. She wondered what it said.

Barry looked back at her, noticing what she was looking at. He cleared his throat, picking it up and tossing it on the counter. “Just Dennis telling me that you needed to eat,” he told her. “And that he needed to think about… things.”

There was something that he wasn’t telling her, it was obvious to her. She didn’t know what it was, though. 

“Oh,” she murmured, looking down at her hands. She knew Barry was still looking at her, but she chose to pull her phone out and look at it instead. She had a few messages, mostly from her foster mom, telling her to be safe. There was one asking her to be home before five, which she responded to with a simple okay. 

“Don’t think too hard about it, baby girl,” she heard Barry say. “Sometimes things are just hard to Dennis to comprehend and he needs some time to himself. I’d like to tell you what he’s thinking about but… he’s blocking me out entirely. He’s essentially gone silent to me and probably to the rest of the alters as well.”

Casey nodded, looking up and giving him a small smile. She understood, she needed time to herself all the time, especially lately.

Barry took the smile as a good sign and went back to cooking, finishing the eggs up quickly. He was plating them when the oven went off and he pulled out the cinnamon rolls, coating them with the icing and putting a couple on each plate.

He sat one down in front of Casey, placing one at another chair and sitting down there. 

They ate in silence for the first few minutes before Barry broke it. “What do you want for your birthday?” he asked.

Casey frowned. She hadn’t really thought about it. “Uh,” she mumbled. “I don’t- I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I haven’t… I haven’t gotten anything for the last few years,” she didn’t miss the sad look on Barry’s face. “My uncle, he, uh, said that presents made me selfish and he wasn’t going to stand for that.”

She dropped her head down again, hating the thoughts going throughout her head now.

Barry reached out, taking her hand gently. Casey didn’t lift her head but did lift her eyes up enough to look at him.

“In that case,” he started, smiling gently at her. “I think I need you to prepare to be a little selfish.”

Casey coughed out a laugh, though it didn’t sound as happy as she had meant for it to. “You don’t ha-”

Barry held up his hand, silencing her. “I know,” he told her. “But I’m gonna. And I’m sure Dennis will agree with me, you deserve so much, sweetheart. Besides, Hedwig loves a good party.”

Casey felt tears of gratefulness fill up her eyes, though she didn’t know if it was from just what Barry had said or if it was also from the fact that he said Dennis would agree that she deserved a lot. It wasn’t something she thought of herself. “Well, I can’t deny Hedwig a party.”

“With cake,” Barry added.

Casey nodded. “Of course,” she whispered. “With cake.”

Barry stood up suddenly, walking the few steps to her chair and kneeling down, opening his arms for her.

Casey nearly fell into his hug, letting him hold on to her until she had regained her composure.

“Thank you,” she murmured.

“No,” Barry said back. “We should be thanking you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I hope you enjoyed this and come see me on Tumblr. I don't really post a lot, but I do reply to messages there.
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark


	9. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey shook her head, not hiding how much it was making her laugh as well, enjoying the energy coming off Barry. She tried not to think about anything else. Tried not to think about the fact that any minute someone could realize he was here. If the cops found out, he’d be put away forever, for something he didn’t even do. Or maybe they would have them plead insanity and get locked up in a mental institution until they no longer posed a ‘threat’ to society.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you follow me on Tumblr you'll know why this chapter was a bit delayed (it had to do with fish....) but here this is now.

The rest of their meal passed by in relative silence. Casey would occasionally cast glances towards Barry, wondering if Dennis was ever going to make another appearance, though it didn’t look very promising.

As they finished eating, Barry grabbed their plates and went to the sink. Casey was confused when he started washing them. “Might as well help Dennis once,” he murmured. 

Casey wondered what Dennis was going through that was bad enough that Barry was helping him _clean_. 

Barry was singing to himself and as he finished washing, he turned around and pointed at Casey. She shook her head, not one to sing around other people. Barry didn’t stop, walking over to her and pulling her out of her chair. “Come on, Casey,” he said between lyrics. “Don’t leave me hanging.”

Casey laughed but began singing along with him, letting him lead her in a dance around the room. It was one of the few times she felt truly free, truly happy.

It seemed like it was over too soon and Barry was finishing his song. 

Casey let her heart speed slow down from the dancing and singing, a wide smile on her face. She pulled her phone out, looking at the time. It was after one in the afternoon now, so she didn’t have to be home for another four hours or so. 

Barry looked over at her. “You have to be home soon?” he questioned.

Casey shrugged. “Few hours,” she told him. 

Barry nodded, pursing his lips. “What do you like to do with your free time?’’ he asked her. “Play games? Watch movies?”

“I like to draw,” Casey said softly, smiling a bit. “Mostly sketching things. I like to sketch scenes, like when the leaves are falling off the trees in the fall. That kind of stuff.”

Barry’s eyebrows shot up on his face. “No way,” he said, a teasing grin on his face. 

Casey nodded. “It’s one of my favorite past times,” she told him simply.

“I think you’ll need to prove it,” Barry announced, getting up and walking out of the room, looking at Casey and gesturing for her to follow him. He led her to the living room, guiding her by her shoulders to sit on the couch. She watched him skeptically, watched as he left the room, a bit of a hop to his step. He disappeared down the hallway for a few minutes, she could hear the noises of him moving different things around in one of the rooms.

He came back a bit later, holding a sketchpad and a pencil, along with a pack of colored pencils. Casey shook her head, laughing at how excited he seemed to look. “This is actually Hedwig’s things,” he told her, smiling mischievously. “I don’t think he’ll care so much as long as you write that it’s for him.”

Casey took the supplies from him, moving to sit on the floor so that she could a better position in front of the coffee table to draw.

Barry turned on the television as she began drawing and Casey could hear a rerun of _Friends_ playing in the background. Every so often, she could feel Barry look over at what she was drawing, but she’d perfected hiding her drawings while she was doing them. She knew it was working when Barry finally groaned loudly and practically whined, “Why don’t you let me see what you have?”

Casey looked up with a raised eyebrow. “It’s a surprise, Barry,” she told him. “I prefer people to see the final result instead of the mistakes that happened along the way.”

Barry grumbled under his breath but turned back to look at the television again. 

Three episodes later, Casey was finally finished with her drawing. “Okay,” she announced. “I’m done. Do you want to see it?”

Before she’d even gotten the whole question out, Barry was up, kneeling next to her and looking at where her hands were covering her drawing. 

She moved her hands slowly, revealing a fall scene in a forest. If you looked closely, a small tent could be seen in the background, though the foreground was mostly taken up by a large buck. The trees were partially bare, orange, red, and yellow leaves sparsely on the branches, though they littered the entirety of the ground.

The light coming through the trees was golden, obviously meant to be around evening. Barry picked the picture up, looking at it from multiple different angles. “This is,” he trailed off, looking up to look Casey in the eyes. “Amazing. Absolutely exquisite. The way the light shines through the trees and the shadow of the buck on the leaves covering the ground. It’s incredible.”

Casey stared at him, looking for any sign that he was lying to make her feel better. But his face was open, entirely honest. 

“Thank you,” she whispered. 

Barry grinned, handing it back to her. “You better put your name on it,” he told her. “I’m almost certain Hedwig is going to want to hang it on his wall for everyone to see.”

Casey couldn’t help but return his grin, taking the book and flipping the page over, writing a small note on the back.

_For Hedwig. I hope you like this. It took a lot of time to make it. It’s just for you. -Casey_

Barry chuckled as he read what she wrote, taking the book again and closing it. “He’s gonna love this,” he hummed, standing up and taking it back to where he had found it. 

When he came back, Casey noticed he was carrying his car keys. Casey cocked her head to the side. Barry looked at her, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t want to have to walk all the way back there to grab them when you have to go,” he explained. “Besides, we only really have one more episode before I need to start taking you home.”

Casey nodded in understanding, sitting up on the couch and laying on her side, resting her cheek on her hand as she watched the show.

It was funny, now, watching the show. While she had been drawing, Barry had been more silent than she had ever heard him, but now that she no longer was focused, he was adding his own commentary to the show. 

“Pivot,” he mumbled, long after the scene had already ended. And every time he said it, he burst out laughing all over again. Laughing hard enough that he had to hold his hands over his stomach, shoulders moving as he did. “ _Piiiivoooooot_.”

Casey shook her head, not hiding how much it was making her laugh as well, enjoying the energy coming off Barry. She tried not to think about anything else. Tried not to think about the fact that any minute someone could realize he was here. If the cops found out, he’d be put away forever, for something he didn’t even do. Or maybe they would have them plead insanity and get locked up in a mental institution until they no longer posed a ‘threat’ to society.

_Don’t think about that stuff._

Casey focused herself back on the show, but she knew it was coming to an end. She’d be heading home in the next ten minutes. And when it finally did end, Barry looked over at her. “You ready, sweetheart?” he questioned. Casey only shrugged, standing up and stretching. She had the remnants of a headache, but it wasn’t something she couldn’t handle, so she didn’t tell Barry. She knew what a concussion was like and this wasn’t one, only a bump on her head. It would hurt for a few days, but then it would be over, she’d move past it. It would only be a memory, despite the fact that she didn’t even remember it happening.

She laughed and noticed Barry looked at her with a confused face, almost as if he thought perhaps she had gone mad. The look, however, only made her laugh more.

“Uh,” Barry mumbled. “What’s so funny, Casey?”

Casey shook her head, taking a deep breath to stop laughing. “It’s not really that funny,” she admitted. “I was just thinking about last night. Dennis stopped me from having a nightmare and I hit my head. I know it was real because I could tell Dennis wasn’t lying, but I don’t remember it happening. I know I must not have been entirely awake when it happened, but for some reason, I found it funny.”

Barry shook his head. “You’re crazy,” he said decidedly, before looking at her quizzically. “Dennis stopped your nightmare?”

Casey nodded. “He told me that I was having a nightmare about… well,” she shrugged and the look Barry gave her showed that he knew what she was talking about. “Anyways, he came in to wake me up and I guess it scared me, so I rolled off the bed and hit my head. I woke up, uh, curled up against him,” she mumbled the last part. “I guess it must have worked though.”

Barry waited until she was done talking to show any other sign that he had been listening. He turned around, nodding to himself, and Casey thought he said something along the lines of, “Security blanket,” quietly to himself, though she chose not to ask what he meant.

Casey followed him as he walked, getting into her designated passenger seat. It made her happy to watch Barry turn the music on loud, an alternative station playing. She didn’t really know the songs and it didn’t seem like Barry did either, but that didn’t stop him from trying to sing along. 

Midway through the drive, Barry turned it down. “What are your plans for the rest of the week?” he questioned.

Casey thought for a few minutes. “I hadn’t really thought about it,” she told him. “I just kind of play it day by day. It’s about a week until my birthday, so Janice will probably want me around the house more, she knows she doesn’t have much time left with me.”

Barry frowned. “What do you mean?” he asked.

Casey shrugged. “I’ve got money saved up. I’m moving out when I’m eighteen.”

“Do you know where you’re going to move to?” he asked her, glancing briefly at her before looking back to the road.

Casey shook her head. “Not really,” she admitted. “I was planning on staying in a motel until I could find a place. I put in my two weeks at work, uh, well, two weeks ago. So I guess I’m done with that. I’m hoping to get a better job that doesn’t involve me coming home smelling like old coffee,” she scrunched her nose up.

Barry hummed, pulling into Casey’s neighborhood. “Well, if you ever, _ever_ , need a place to stay,” he started. “Know that you can always come to us.”

Casey smiled. “I appreciate that,” she told him softly. “I do.”

They were pulling up in front of her house now and she unbuckled her seatbelt, she mumbled, “I don’t want to be a burden,” under her breath, thinking she got away with it when Barry didn’t respond.

She looked over at him. “Thank you for the ride home, Barry,” she told him, earning a sincere smile from him.

She climbed out of the car, shutting the door behind herself and beginning to walk up to her door. She didn’t hear his window roll down.

“I mean it, Casey,” she heard him call. “You’re not a burden. We like having you around.”

She turned to look back at him, smiling slightly. She raised one hand in a wave and Barry waved back, rolling his window back as she got to the door. She heard him drive off as she shut the door behind herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random question, do any of you live in/near Kansas? I live in it and we were supposed to get this _massive_ blizzard today. There's barely any snow on the ground... and all the storm is past us. If that doesn't describe Kansas, I don't know what does.
> 
> Folllllllllow me on the Tumblr  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before Casey could even think about saying anything else, she heard her phone go off. She pulled it out of the waistband of her pants, seeing an alarm titled **Freedom** going off. She felt her face list into something that couldn’t count as a smile. “Well, I guess you don’t have to worry that anymore,” she muttered, turning back from the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this one is so late in the day, I didn't have any motivation until about eight at night.
> 
> This one is, uh, a doozy? I dunno. I think it's something you all probably were expecting.

The rest of the week seemed to drag on for Casey. The kids’ daycare operator was going out of town for a few days, so Casey was left in charge of them while Janice was at work. She was happy that she had something to do but being home also meant she couldn’t be around Barry or Dennis, both of whom made her life a little better.

Barry checked in on her multiple times throughout the days, both by text and by call, and Hedwig had called her to let her know how much he appreciated her picture. He gave her a play by play of how he had found it and where he had hung it up in his room (right over his bed). But Dennis had yet to make contact. 

When Casey asked Barry about him, he’d seemed awkward, telling her that he hadn’t come back to the light unless he was cleaning something. He also told her that he wasn’t talking much to the other alters, but he assured her that it wasn’t uncommon, he did that when he really needed to think.

Casey had asked once why Barry thought he needed to think so much and he’d coughed, the only answer from him being, “Feelings and such.”

Casey chose to just deal with that answer, figuring if Dennis wanted her to know what was wrong, he’d go ahead and tell her himself. 

And things were strange at home, as well. Since the last time Casey had gotten back, Janice had been acting weird. Less than five minutes from Casey walking in, the phone was going off. Whatever, or whoever, was on the phone had Janice acting strangely. Casey had asked if she was okay and she had assured her that everything was fine.

But even the kids had picked up on it, asking Casey if she noticed anything wrong with their foster mother. She kept looking at Casey with odd glances. When there was a knock on the door, she would jump. If she heard a car drive by, she’d rush to a window and stare out until the car was gone. 

Casey wondered if it was because of Barry or Dennis. If the neighbors saying that they’d seen a strange car was still bothering her. 

Casey had caught her one night out at her brother’s tree, talking to it like she did when something was bothering her. _Really_ bothering her. 

Casey had stared out at her until she’d come back inside. If Janice had noticed she was being watched, she didn’t make it known.

She tried to reassure the kids, telling them that work probably just was a bit harder this week than before. 

It all came to fruition, however, the night before Casey’s birthday. Or, better, ten minutes before her birthday. 

She was unable to sleep, maybe from excitement or because she couldn’t stop thinking about how Janice had been acting. It had her on edge.

She crawled out of bed, figuring she could walk to the kitchen and get a glass of milk, thinking it would help her fall asleep. When she got into the kitchen, she saw Janice sitting at the table, her head in her hands. She looked up as Casey walked in.

“What are you doing awake?” she asked and Casey couldn’t help but think she sounded upset. 

Casey swallowed. “I couldn’t sleep,” she said honestly. “I came to get a drink. Is everything okay?”

Janice shook her head, standing up. “Tell me where you’ve been going,” she said in a stern voice. “And _don’t_ lie to me.”

Casey’s heart started thundering in her chest, the tone of Janice’s voice showed that she already knew the answer. “You already know, don’t you?” Casey questioned. “Or else you wouldn’t expect me to lie. How did you find out?”

Janice crossed her arms, a frown deep set on her face. “One of the neighbors saw him after your last trip,” she muttered. “He rolled down the window to say something to you.”

Casey furrowed her eyebrows, taking a step back. “You’ve had them watching me,” she whispered. 

Janice sighed. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe,” she told her. “It was just a precaution.”

Casey felt like she’d been lied to. “So you had people spy on me?” she asked. “How can I trust you after that?”

Janice scoffed, shaking her head. “How can you trust _him_?”

Casey knew she should have expected that question. “Because he’s actually sorry for what he did.”

Janice looked at Casey like she had gone crazy. “He’s _sorry_? For killing two girls and letting you get hurt?”

Casey shook her head. “That’s wasn’t him,” she whispered.

“Are you really that stupid?” Casey felt like she’d been slapped, it was something she had heard so many times from her uncle, though it hurt more now.

Before Casey could even think about saying anything else, she heard her phone go off. She pulled it out of the waistband of her pants, seeing an alarm titled **Freedom** going off. She felt her face list into something that couldn’t count as a smile. “Well, I guess you don’t have to worry that anymore,” she muttered, turning back from the kitchen. 

She walked to her room, going inside and shutting the door. She wanted to slam it, figuring it would help get some of her anger out, but she didn’t want to wake the kids.

She grabbed a duffle bag, starting to pack things away. Her clothes, a couple of pictures (one of her and her dad and one of her parents together), her phone charger, and her camera were all thrown together. She pulled on a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt, along with a pair of tennis shoes. 

As she walked back out of her room, she looked back one last time.

When she looked down the hall at the other room, she noticed the kids all gathered in one doorway. She sighed, walking over and kneeling down. “It’s time for me to go now,” she whispered, taking in their upset face. “I’ll come back, okay? I’ll be around again. I promise I won’t leave forever.”

The youngest started crying and she took their hand, squeezing gently with one hand and wiping their tears away with the other. “I love you all,” she murmured, trying not to cry herself. “Be good.”

She stood up again, kissing each of their foreheads before walking to the front door. Janice was standing beside it. “If you leave, I will call the police and tell them that you know where he is.”

Casey glared at her. “You said you cared about me,” she snapped. “If you call the police, I will never forgive you.”

 

Janice made a noise like she hadn’t expected Casey to say that. “Where are you going to go?” she asked, her voice sounding hurt. 

Casey shook her head. “I’ll figure it out when I get there.”

She threw the door open, walking out into the cold. She heard the youngest running after her, shouting for her not to leave, but she knew Janice wouldn’t let any of the kids outside. She kept walking, tears falling as she heard the door shut, followed by the kids knocking on it. 

…

Casey walked for over an hour before she found a 24-hour motel that looked the least shady. 

She walked to the front office, asking for a room with one bed. The lady didn’t ask any questions, even when Casey paid the fee in cash, giving her a key to her room. 

The room wasn’t much to look at, a small bed in the center of a small room. One side held a bathroom and the other a large window, the curtains were drawn closed. She set her stuff down on a small chair, grabbing out her charger and plugging it in next to the bed. She laid down on top of the covers, curling up and beginning to cry in full.

She laid awake for hours more, before crying herself to sleep as the first rays of light were showing over the horizon.

…

She woke up again when her phone began going off. She was worried it was Janice, calling her to tell her she really had called the cops, but she didn’t think she was going to do that. 

She rolled over, still exhausted, and didn’t look at the caller ID before answering. “Hello?” she said, her voice gravelly. 

She heard a laugh, a laugh she recognized. “Are you still asleep?” Barry asked. “It’s almost two in the afternoon. I figured you’d be awake by now, so I tried to wait. I didn’t want to wake you up.”

Casey would be lying if she said she knew why Barry was calling. She couldn’t remember if he had a reason or now, until he proclaimed, “Oh! Happy birthday!”

 _Oh, yeah_ , she thought. _It’s my birthday._

“Thanks, Barry,” she murmured, knowing her voice sounded wholly unenthused. 

She should have known Barry would pick up on her attitude. “Casey?” he asked softly. “Are you okay?” 

Casey sat up, taking a deep breath. “I’m fine,” she murmured. “I’m just tired is all.”

“Don’t lie,” Barry whispered. “You can tell me what’s wrong.”

Casey felt her throat get tight. “Everything,” she whimpered.

Barry took a deep breath. “Where are you, Casey?” he asked. “Are you at home?”

Casey wiped a tear that had fallen. “No,” she whispered. “I left home. Something happened, I can’t go back there. I’m at a motel.”

“Which motel?” Barry questioned, Casey could hear the jingling of his keys.

She told him softly, hearing his disdain in the way he scoffed as she told him her room number.

“We’ll be there soon, baby girl,” he told her gently, before hanging up the phone. 

…

Casey sat on her bed, staring at the door of her room. She couldn’t bring herself to move, even to pull the curtains open. 

After nearly a half hour, there was a knock at her door. It took effort for her to get up, shuffling towards the door, realizing that she’d fallen asleep in her shoes as well.

She didn’t look out the peephole, simply opening the door. She’d been expecting Barry, so when she found that he wasn’t there, she couldn’t help but gasp in surprise. 

“Casey,” Dennis was staring at her, seemingly just as surprised as she was. 

Casey couldn’t help herself, she burst into tears. She would have fallen had Dennis not caught her, holding her in his arms. “It’s okay,” he assured her. “You’re okay. Tell me what happened.”

Casey shook her head. “It’s not okay,” she sobbed, holding tightly to the back of his shirt. 

Dennis let her continue to cry for a few minutes more, before lifting her head up by the chin. Casey would think it was intimate if she didn’t still have tears falling down her face. “Come back with me,” he murmured. “I know Barry offered you to stay with us. So say yes.”

Casey didn’t think she could get words out, so she simply nodded, letting Dennis help her get her stuff and lead her to the car, helping her inside. She pulled her legs up as he got into the driver’s seat, he looked over at her, sadness or pity in his eyes, Casey couldn’t tell. He started the car and Casey stared out the window as they drove, silently crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Say hi on Tumblr or something.
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark
> 
> Until next time.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After around an hour, their pictures were done. Hedwig’s was a bit more childishly done than Casey’s, some of the lines thicker, some of the colors dark from where he pressed too hard with the pencils.
> 
> He held his up against Casey’s, nodding happily. “They look the same,” she told him gently. “I think yours might even look better than mine. In fact, I’m sure of it.”
> 
> Hedwig scoffed, waving his hand. “You’re just sayin’ that,” he mumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you follow me on Tumblr, you'll know why this was delivered a bit late to you all.  
> (it involved a college algebra assignment)
> 
> So this chapter is yeah. Just yeah. I think it's good, but I'm also like half asleep and can barely keep my eyes open.
> 
> Also, I slipped something in here from Glass (albeit a bit changed) and I feel no remorse for it.
> 
> Read on, darlings

Casey felt Dennis continually look over at her as they drove, but she never looked back at him. She instead, memorized deeply the roads they took to get to the house. She memorized the way the trees looked, bare of all leaves, some still holding the remnants of snow on their branches.

When they pulled into the driveway, Casey half expected hordes of police cars there. But it was the same as it had been a few days ago. She finally took in what it looked like. The outside was a dark grey color, a black door, few windows. From the outside, it would look like it was just a one-story house, but Casey knew that there was a basement.

Dennis was looking at her again, she could feel his eyes on her. But Casey was already beginning to close herself off. She opened the door, hearing Dennis do the same, and started walking towards the house. She walked in ahead of Dennis, remembering the way to the basement door, trying to ignore the chill in the air. 

She could hear Dennis’s heavy footfalls behind her, which she found strange. He normally walked quietly down the stairs, but, she assumed, he may just have been reminding her that he was there. 

Casey walked to the couch, sitting down, her eyes seemingly glazed over as she stared at the blank television screen. 

Dennis’s form suddenly filled her vision, sitting down on the coffee table in front of her. “Casey,” he murmured. “Look at me?” it sounded like a question, or like a plea.

Casey slowly brought her gaze up to meet his, immediately picking up on the concerned look in his eyes. “Tell me what happened,” he whispered.

Casey felt her hands start to shake, she didn’t know what to say. “I- I,” she stuttered. “I shouldn’t be here,” she whimpered. “I shouldn’t be near you.”

Dennis leaned back slightly, looking hurt, so Casey quickly began shaking her head. “No, no, I didn’t mean it like that. I want to be here,” she told him. “But I’m putting you in danger.”

Now Dennis only looked confused. “What do you mean, Casey?” he asked gently. “How are you putting me in danger?”

Casey looked away from him, eyes settling on a figurine of an elephant on the shelf across the room. It was silver, though it looked somewhat tarnished. She couldn’t imagine how Dennis left it there.

Dennis reached out, turning her head so she was facing him again, Casey felt her heart start hammering. “Talk to me,” he murmured. 

“Someone saw you,” she whispered. “When you were dropping me off. They saw- they saw Barry. Janice- she- she,” she felt a panic attack starting to build up. “She said she was going to call the police.”

Dennis’s face went flat. “It’s okay,” he said slowly. “Just try to breathe, Casey,” he told her gently. “Breathe, darling.”

If Casey had been in the right state of mind, she may have picked up on the name, but all she could think about was how much her hands were shaking. Her vision started to get cloudy, her head was fuzzy, her heart slamming in her chest. She was trying to slow her breathing down, but it was coming out in spurts.

Dennis took her hands, holding one tightly and bringing the other to his chest, placing it palm side down. “Follow me,” he murmured. “In,” he took a deep breath, Casey felt his chest rise, “Out,” and fall.

It took almost five minutes before she was able to match his breathing, for her brain to clear along with her eyes. Her heart started to slow down, became less painful in her chest. “There you go,” Dennis encouraged. 

Casey swallowed thickly, staring at Dennis’s face. She noticed the way his eyebrows lifted a little as he began to talk. “I’m going to have Hedwig come out,” he whispered. “Only for a little bit.”

Casey started shaking her head, holding his hand even tighter, her other hand twisting up in the front of his shirt. “No, please, I’m sorry,” she gasped, feeling her panic start to well back up. “Don’t go. Don’t leave me.”

“Hey, hey,” Dennis murmured, brushing a piece of hair back that had fallen into her face. “I’m not leaving, okay? Hedwig is only going to come out so that I can think up a plan.”

She knew her face was betraying her as she nodded and Dennis cupped her cheek, giving her a gentle smile. “I promise I won’t be gone long,” he whispered. “I promise.”

Casey nodded and when Dennis had decided that she was okay, she watched his face change, becoming more childlike. “Casey!” Hedwig exclaimed, before frowning, seeing her holding onto the shirt and his hand. “Do you like Mr. Dennis now?” he asked, almost looking offended.

Casey didn’t realize how grateful she was to Hedwig until the moment when she coughed out a laugh. “Don’t worry, Hedwig,” she whispered, noticing that her voice sounded strained. “You’re still my best dude.” 

Hedwig grinned and Casey pulled her hands back to herself. “Even though I tried to feed you to the Beast?” he asked quietly.

Casey nodded. “Yeah,” she murmured. “Even though you did that.”

Hedwig continued to grin before his face changed as if he had an idea. “Can we draw?” he asked excitedly. “I want you to teach me how to draw like you.”

Casey nodded. “How about you go get some paper and stuff,” she suggested. “And we’ll have an art class for a little bit.”

Hedwig jumped up, running to his room. When he came back - a while later, Casey noted - he was in different clothes, though not his usual tracksuit, instead in a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt. 

Casey chose not to comment on it, though Hedwig seemed to notice her look at him. “Mr. Dennis put my clothes in the washer cause I spilled stuff on them,” he explained, looking like he would get in trouble. “But his clothes are too itchy. Besides,” he grinned. “Now I get to be dressed like you.”

Casey hummed, nodding her head as Hedwig began laying out all the supplies he needed. She saw he must have gotten another sketchbook, as now he had two of them. He poured the colored pencils all around the table. Casey got down on the ground across the table from him.

“How about we start with something simple,” Casey suggested, earning a nod in agreement. “So, this is what you’re going to do.”

She began showing him how to draw a tree, how to make the trunk look real, how to make the branches different shapes and sizes. She taught him how to make the leaves look like they were autumnal. She showed him how to mix different colors together to make a leaf look streaked with sun. She helped him draw a swing off one of the branches.

Hedwig worked so hard to follow along, biting his lip when he was focusing the most. She watched the way his face would light up when she complimented what she had done. 

After around an hour, their pictures were done. Hedwig’s was a bit more childishly done than Casey’s, some of the lines thicker, some of the colors dark from where he pressed too hard with the pencils.

He held his up against Casey’s, nodding happily. “They look the same,” she told him gently. “I think yours might even look better than mine. In fact, I’m sure of it.”

Hedwig scoffed, waving his hand. “You’re just sayin’ that,” he mumbled.

Casey shook her head. “Nope, you’ve got real talent, Hedwig. I think you could be an artist one day.”

She noted the way he blushed at the compliment, looking away from her. “I’m gonna put these up on my wall,” he told her. “Next to the other one you drew for me. That’s my favorite drawing.”

Casey smiled. “I’m glad you liked it,” she murmured. 

Hedwig got up, stretching a bit and carrying the pictures towards his room, a bit of a hop to his step, as though he was listening to music. 

She stayed where she was, though she moved to sit on the couch again, stretching to get rid of the stiffness that had taken over her joints while on the ground. 

“Casey.”

She hadn’t even heard anyone come down the hall, but she wasn’t surprised that it was Dennis who walked so silently. “Did you get Hedwig’s picture hung up?” she asked quietly.

It was the first time she heard Dennis laugh, though it was just a small chuckle. “I let him finish doing that before I came back,” he assured her, moving to sit next to her on the couch. “I think I’ve come up with a plan.”

Casey looked over at him, her eyes still shining from the joyfulness she’d felt with Hedwig, and it didn’t leave as she looked into Dennis’s eyes. “What’s the plan?” she asked quietly.

Dennis hummed. “First,” he murmured. “I need to know. Are you wanting to stay here? With us?”

She paused. “I mean,” she started. “If you want me to leave, I get that. It would be safer if I wasn’t here for them to find.”

Dennis shook his head. “We don’t want you to leave,” he told her. “ _I_ don’t want you to leave. I just need to know if you want to stay.”

Casey nodded slowly. _He wants you to stay,_ her mind whispered. “I want to stay,” she told him quietly.

Dennis smiled. “Alright,” he murmured. “In that case, I think we need to take some extra precautions. First, I think we both need to get rid of our phones. I don’t know if they’ll decide to track them. I have some burners we can use if you want to write down any important numbers.”

Casey listened closely to what he was telling her. “I also think we should start watching the news and listening to the radios very closely. We need to monitor what’s going on out there,” he explained. “And, if worst comes to worst, I think we need to figure out another place to go to.”

He seemed to be finished, waiting for Casey’s reaction. “Okay,” she murmured. “I think… I think that’s a good idea,” she agreed. 

Dennis nodded. “It’ll be okay,” he assured her. “I’ll make sure we’re all safe. And we’ll go from here, okay?”

“Okay,” Casey repeated softly. “Okay.”

Dennis smiled again. “I think you should try and get some more sleep,” he whispered, standing and offering her his hand. She took it, only just now realizing how tired she was. She’d only gotten a little over six hours and it was finally starting to hit her.

Dennis led her back to his room, helping her into the bed. “Stay,” she murmured, voice so quiet it was like a ghost. But he heard her and he nodded slowly, walking to the other side. 

He climbed under the covers and Casey immediately curled into him, eyes already closing from exhaustion. “Sleep,” Dennis whispered and, though Casey was already drifting off, she swore she felt his lips press gently against her forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed that.
> 
> As always, I can't express how grateful I am for your constant support and comments.
> 
> Come find me on Tumblr  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Her eyes were moving under her eyelids, _dreaming_ , he supposed. She had dark purple half circles under her eyes, a stark contrast to her pale skin. Dennis wondered how much sleep she’d gotten in the past few days. In the past few days that he’d locked himself away in Kevin’s head. He should have been there for her the night before. He couldn’t imagine the pain she had gone through. He knew she loved her foster mom, her foster siblings, it must have been hell for her to leave them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, this one's really short. I had limited time today.  
> It's also all from Dennis's POV, so I hope you enjoy that.

Dennis could tell when Casey slipped into sleep. It wasn’t super dramatic, but he felt her body go limp. Her breathing evened out. 

He looked at her face, half buried in his chest and the other half tilted to the side in slumber. He could see dried tears tracks on her cheeks. 

She looked so peaceful in her sleep, like nothing in the world could hurt her. Her hair was spilled over the pillow behind her, a dark curtain over the bed.

He used one hand to brush a lock of hair from her face, noting the way her lips twitched as he did so as she felt it even in her sleep. Dennis smiled softly, trying to ignore the sensation in his chest as he stared at her. 

Her eyes were moving under her eyelids, _dreaming_ , he supposed. She had dark purple half circles under her eyes, a stark contrast to her pale skin. Dennis wondered how much sleep she’d gotten in the past few days. In the past few days that he’d locked himself away in Kevin’s head. He should have been there for her the night before. He couldn’t imagine the pain she had gone through. He knew she loved her foster mom, her foster siblings, it must have been hell for her to leave them. 

He wondered how the kids had reacted, remembered that Casey once mentioned the oldest was only twelve years old. And she spoke so fondly of the youngest child as if they were her actual blood sibling. 

A small noise left her sleeping form, her eyebrows furrowing and she curled closer to Dennis, he felt his own arms wrap tighter around her. As if he was trying to protect her from whatever was upsetting her in her sleep.

Hedwig was trying to come back to the light, but Dennis pushed him back, it took a lot of effort. The boy somehow had the ability to just _will_ himself into the light. Dennis knew why he wanted the light, knew he wanted Casey to help him draw some more. _She’s sleeping_ , Dennis snapped, noting the twinge of hurt that he let off. 

Dennis ran his hand through Casey’s hair, gently pulling at some knots that had gathered at the ends until it was entirely smoothed out. 

He didn’t know what to do. It was around three in the afternoon and he wasn’t tired in any way. He lifted his head, resting his chin on top of Casey’s head. 

She whimpered quietly and Dennis frowned, pulling back to look at her, but she was still fully asleep. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re okay. I got you.”

Dennis liked to think that her face of peace came from his words, but he didn’t see how that could be possible. She only needed someone near her, he assumed. 

_She needs to feel protected_ , he thought. _But_ , his mind carried on, looking at the pale cream wall across from him. _She chose you. She asked you to stay._

He tried to think of other things, anything but the girl sleeping in his arms. He didn’t want to think about the things he was feeling. He’d spent the past week thinking about them. About his feelings. But he didn’t want to admit what they were. Besides, who knew if Casey even felt the same. She could just be staying with them because of Barry or because of Hedwig, or maybe she just felt bad for them.

But then why would she be sleeping here, now? Why would she have asked him to stay? Curled up into his chest. 

“Dennis,” Casey’s voice broke into his thoughts and he looked down, sure she had woken up, but her eyes were still closed. 

Dennis tilted his head to the side. “Casey?” he questioned, wondering if she would even say anything else. 

Her lips twisted up at the corners, not enough for a full smile, almost as if she didn’t have enough energy to fully grin.

Her voice was quieter this time, Dennis could barely hear what she said. “I think I,” she trailed off, mouth making the motion of a word, nothing but a small gasp of air coming out. 

Dennis frowned, watching her lips move slightly. “You think what, Casey?” he asked her softly, afraid to talk too loudly, fearful of waking her up. 

But now Casey didn’t say anything else, eyes no longer moving, whatever she had been dreaming of had stopped. Dennis couldn’t help but feel slightly upset. Left wondering what she was about to say.

Maybe she was going to say that she thinks she hates him, though he hoped that was unlikely. At this point, she didn’t know what she would do if she hated him. He knew he had grown too attached to her. He wouldn’t stop her if she ever wanted to leave, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to handle it if she did.

He shook his head, closing his eyes. _You’re pitiful_ , his mind muttered. _You don’t deserve this. You don’t deserve someone like her. She’s better than you could ev-_

His mind was cut off by another voice in his head. _Would you cut that shit out? It’s blocking everything up_ , it was Barry, Dennis rolled his eyes, annoyed that the others were obviously listening as much as they could. 

“Dennis?” He hadn’t realized Casey had woken up, her brown eyes looking up at him through her eyelashes. She looked like she was still incredibly tired. “Are you okay?”

Dennis nodded. “Of course,” he assured her. “Why do you ask?”

Casey reached up, touching his lips. “You’re frowning,” she murmured, eyes barely open, blinking heavily. 

Dennis gave her a gentle smile. “I’m okay,” he told her softly. “Go back to sleep.”

Casey shook her head. “I don’t wanna,” she mumbled, though her speech was slow, Dennis knew she would be asleep in a few moments. 

“You should,” Dennis said, petting her hair down slightly, watching as she leaned back slightly into the touch. “You’ll feel better when you wake again.”

Casey’s eyes were slipping shut for longer moments now, her body fighting sleep and losing. “Can we go for a walk?” she asked quietly, voice slurred. 

Dennis hummed. “When you wake again,” he murmured. “We’ll go for a walk.”

Casey nodded, burying her face into his chest, causing his heart to stutter. “-ve you,” he heard her mumble, pulling his eyebrows together.

“What, Casey?” he questioned, looking down at her. 

But her breathing had evened out again, obviously already back asleep. He sighed, cursing at himself for not listening more to what she as saying. 

Her hand was still up at his face, tips of her fingers lightly touching his cheek, the rest of her hand on his chin. He felt it starting to slip down and he caught it with his own, turning his head and kissing her palm, his breath catching in his throat.

He moved her hand gently, pulling it down to their sides, holding it in his own. He didn’t know if she’d let him do this if she was awake and he was going to relish the moment while she was sleeping. 

“Casey,” he murmured, testing to see if she might actually be awake, but the only thing that answered him was her soft breathing. 

Dennis sighed softly, kissing the top of her head. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End.  
> JK  
> If you follow me on Tumblr, you'll know a dilemma I went through involving happy endings... You can come up with your own conclusions from that.  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark
> 
> Also, if you get the chance to go see _The Upside_ with Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston, do it. It's amazing, both funny and a feels movie, it's entirely worth the money.


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She walked out of the bathroom and as she walked down the hallway, she realized that it wasn’t just Dennis in the kitchen.
> 
> “You can’t believe what they say, Dennis,” she heard one voice mutter. “You know the truth. You’ve seen what he can do. What _we_ can do. We are _extraordinary_.”
> 
> The voice itself was enough to send chills down her spine. She’d never forget that voice. Not until the day she died. It was one of the voices she feared the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Um, so, you can yell at me if you after you read this...
> 
> But... it's gotta get worse before it can get better, right?
> 
> I'm so sorry. Probably.
> 
> Read On, Darlings

Casey startled herself awake from her dreams, the feeling of a large fall making her heart jumpstart.

She knew her eyes must look wild, especially from the concerned way Dennis was staring down at her, his own eyes wide. “Are you okay?” he asked quickly. “What happened?”

Casey blinked. “I’m fine,” she assured him. “I think… I think I just scared myself,” she murmured, smiling slightly. 

Dennis nodded, though he didn’t seem entirely convinced, but Casey wasn’t lying. She couldn’t even remember what she had been dreaming about. If she thought hard enough, she could pick up on a glimpse of the bedroom, but what was going on and who was there was a mystery to her. 

“Are you hungry?” Dennis question, moving to sit up. Casey remained laying down, turning her head to look up at him. 

Casey shrugged, still trying to get her heart to return to a normal pace, still trying to wake up entirely. She heard Dennis try to cover up his chuckle, rubbing a hand over his mouth. Casey grinned. “I think I could eat something,” she told him, speaking over the small sound her stomach made at the thought of food. 

Dennis smiled back down at her, though he quickly tried to go back to a neutral expression. “I think you’re hungry,” he said, his low voice almost sounding like it was trying to make a joke. “I’ll go make you some food. You can get dressed if you’d like,” she didn’t realize it, but at some point, Dennis had brought in her bag.

Casey finally sat up as Dennis was getting out of the bed. He stretched and Casey felt the need to look away from him, moving to the edge of the bed and stretching her own arms above her head, wincing at the way her back and shoulders popped. 

She heard Dennis make a strange noise and turned back to look at him, seeing an almost disgusted look on his face. She cocked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. 

“Does your back always pop like that?” Dennis question, arms crossed over his chest. “It sounded like you were popping bubble wrap.”

Casey laughed, shaking her head at him. “Years of sleeping on uncomfortable beds or the floor will do that to you,” she said, shrugging her shoulders as she stood up. 

Dennis walked over to her and Casey froze at the look on his face. It was the strangest mixture of emotions. There was worry and concern, and then there was something else. If Casey didn’t know any better, she’d almost call it compassion or love, but that couldn’t be, right?

He raised a hand and because of her memories, she flinched slightly, but immediately relaxed when she felt that hand lightly on her cheek. She looked up at him, growing warm at the way he looked at her. 

But that look only lasted so long and after what only felt like a few seconds, he was moving away again. “I’ll start your food,” he murmured, turning away and walking out of the door, shutting it gently behind himself. 

Casey stared at the closed door, waiting to see if he would come back. She’d hate to admit it, but something inside her wanted him to come back. _Really_ wanted him to come back. But, of course, he didn’t, and she heard cabinet doors opening and closing.

Casey sighed, running her hand through her hair. She was surprised to find it entirely tangle free, something she’d never had happen to her after sleeping. 

_Tell me how you feel. About me._

_I- I love you._

The flash of her dream surprised her and she stood rooted in place. She knew she had a reputation for talking in her sleep. _Is that why he was looking at me like that?_ She wondered. _Like he was waiting for me to say something?_

Her heart hammered in her chest. _It was just a dream_ , she tried to convince herself, taking a deep breath. “It was just a dream,” maybe if she said it out loud, she’d believe it more. 

But it didn’t work. Her mind was working a thousand miles a minute. The realization hit her like a freight train.

She walked almost numbly to her bag, grabbing it and putting it on the bed. She reached in, rooting around until she pulled out a pair of jeans and a long sleeve black turtleneck. She thought about putting on shoes but decided instead to just slip on a pair of black socks. 

She opened the bedroom door, going to the bathroom and making sure she looked presentable. She frowned at the dark bags under her eyes, touching them with her index finger. 

She looked down at the sink, noticing a toothbrush, still in its package, a sticky note on top of it. 

_Yours if you need one, Casey. -D_

Casey couldn’t help but smile fondly down at it. A simple gesture, but it meant a lot to her.

The sounds in the kitchen had died down and she assumed Dennis must have decided on what he was going to make. It seemed weird, Dennis offering to make her food, as she remembered Jade telling her that he thought it made too much of a mess, so he didn’t make the food. 

She walked out of the bathroom and as she walked down the hallway, she realized that it wasn’t just Dennis in the kitchen.

“You can’t believe what they say, Dennis,” she heard one voice mutter. “You know the truth. You’ve seen what he can do. What _we_ can do. We are _extraordinary_.”

The voice itself was enough to send chills down her spine. She’d never forget that voice. Not until the day she died. It was one of the voices she feared the most.

It was Patricia.

“You only wanted power,” she heard Dennis’s answering voice. “The Beast did nothing for us-”

Patricia cut him off. “He protected Kevin.”

She heard Dennis’s signature deep breath. “He did _not_ protect Kevin. He hurt people. And by doing that, he _hurt_ Kevin. And _you_. You made me believe that he was what we needed. I should never have listened to you. You’re a power crazy-“

 

“Watch what words you say, Dennis,” Patricia snapped. 

Dennis didn’t say anything else back and Casey prayed that he wasn’t letting Patricia take control. Casey carefully, silently, stepped into the doorway. They weren’t facing her. 

“This is about the girl, isn’t it?” she heard Patricia say in disbelief. “She made you go soft. You used to be so sure of yourself. And now, now you’re just like the rest of them.”

“Casey is different,” Dennis’s voice was almost a whisper now. 

She heard Patricia scoff. “You’ve fallen for her,” she muttered. “That’s what this is. You’ve fallen in love with her,” there was a cold type of laughter. “Do you really, _honestly_ believe she could ever love someone like _you_.”

Casey felt tears welling up in her eyes, quickly wiping one away as it slipped down her cheek. 

“You don’t know me,” Casey heard Dennis’s voice break in the middle of the sentence. Patricia was breaking him down. He was questioning himself. He was questioning how much he was worth.

Patricia’s voice was soft when it came out again. “Oh, dear,” she murmured. “I know you better than you know yourself. Especially if you believe that girl is any different than all the others. She’s just another girl that will _hurt_ you.”

“ _No_ ,” Dennis argued. “She’s not. She’s so much more. She’s-”

Casey tried to stop the small noise that left her lips, covering her mouth with her hand.

But it was too late. The conversation had ended entirely. 

She watched their shoulders lowers, back stick straight. And she knew. She knew Dennis had lost the light. It was only confirmed as Patricia turned around, a sick kind of smile on her lips. Twisted. 

“Hello, Casey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you looooooved it.
> 
> If you want to yell at me, feel free to do so in the comments or on Tumblr or on my brand new email that I made specifically for this account. Just make sure the subject line had something to do with Archive or this story specifically so that I don't just throw it in the bin or the junk.
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> underling_1313@gmail.com
> 
> Until next time, darlings.


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patricia shook her head. “That won’t work, dear,” her voice was even more horrible than it had been. It was twisted, both her voice and the Beast. “He’s not strong enough.”
> 
> Casey let out a breath. “He’s stronger than you are,” she argued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact, thirteen is my lucky number.
> 
> Here you go.

Casey was staring into the face of one of the only alters she didn’t trust. 

“Don’t you know it’s rude to not acknowledge when someone talks to you?” Patricia questioned. Casey continued to stare at her, one hand holding tightly to the doorframe, holding herself up. 

Patricia shook her head and Casey saw her glance over to the counter, her heart stuttering when she saw a knife there. “Hello, Patricia,” she said quickly, her voice shaking with fear. 

Patricia smiled, nodding her head. “That’s much better,” she said, her sickly sweet voice making Casey recoil. 

“How,” Casey started, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself down. She could feel her knees starting to buckle, her head feeling too full. “How did you get into the light?” she asked quietly. 

That smile was still on Patricia’s face, though now she tilted her head a bit, bringing her hand up to her chest. “I forced myself fully out while Dennis was weak,” she explained. “That’s what happiness does to you, dear. It makes you _weak_.”

Casey shook her head. “He’s not weak,” she whispered, trying to hold her ground, squaring her shoulders up, but Patricia only laughed softly at her, shaking her own head. 

Patricia took a step forward and Casey took one back but faltered at the look Patricia gave her. “Don’t make me chase you, Casey,” she snapped. “You know I’ll catch you.”

Casey swallowed thickly, looking in her eyes to see if there was any chance Dennis was still there, but her eyes were cold. They held none of the warmth Dennis’s held when he looked at her now. They were only ice, harsh and evil. 

Patricia moved closer to her and Casey stood stock still, like a deer in headlights. 

Patricia reached out, moving her hair behind her shoulder. The movement held none of the softness that Dennis’s did. “You don’t even know how much he cares for you, do you?” she questioned, her tone mocking. “He loves you,” Casey took a deep breath, her eyes tearing up again. “And that’s made him soft. So soft.”

She shook her head, making a tutting noise. “He no longer believes in me,” she almost sounded like she was trying to be upset, but her intent fell short, and she only sounded cruel. “He no longer believes in the Beast. But…”

Patricia’s voice trailed off and Casey hated the silence that followed. She was looking down at her with an evil imitation of motherly worry. “But,” she continued. “I _will_ make him believe. _We_ will make him believe.”

Casey stared at her. “What do you mean?” she asked, voice shaking like a child coming out of a nightmare. 

Patricia chuckled, placing a hand on Casey’s cheek, she had to force herself not to wince and recoil away from her. She could feel her own hands shaking, gripping tighter on the doorframe. 

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Patricia whispered, sickly sweet. “I’ll tell him to make it quick.”

Casey continued to stare up at her, confusion filling her body. She didn’t understand what Patricia was talking about. 

Patricia’s face began to contort, though it seemed like she was struggling. And that’s when Casey put the pieces together. Patricia was bringing the Beast out. 

“Dennis,” Casey tried, hoping he could take the light back. “Dennis! Please. Please come back.”

Patricia shook her head. “That won’t work, dear,” her voice was even more horrible than it had been. It was twisted, both her voice and the Beast. “He’s not strong enough.”

Casey let out a breath. “He’s stronger than you are,” she argued.

Patricia was gone, the only one left in front of her was the monster that haunted her nightmares. The monster that came to her mind in her darkest moments. The monster she saw whenever she closed her eyes. The monster she imaged in the dark corners of a room. The monster she expected when she heard an unknown noise.

“Then why am _I_ here?” the deep, horrible, twisted voice of the Beast questioned. “And he _isn’t_.”

Casey turned quickly, trying to run back down the hallway, running to the stairs that led to the upper level of the house. But she forgot one important thing. 

She didn’t have the keys. 

She turned back again, praying that the Beast hadn’t followed her yet. But those prayers weren’t answered. 

At the base of the stairs was the image of her worst nightmare.

And he was smiling. An awful smile. 

“You can’t hurt me!” Casey shouted. “I’m pure. You can’t hurt me! You said it yourself.”

That smile didn’t leave the Beast’s face and he only shook his head.

Casey realized then. Why Patricia had been so sure that the Beast would kill her. 

Patricia was controlling him now. He didn’t care about the pure or the impure. He only cared about killing the person they saw as a threat. The person Patricia saw as a threat. The person she blamed for Dennis going ‘soft’.

 _Her_.

The Beat began stepping up the stairs. One step at a time. Taking it slowly to cause the most fear in his victim. 

Her leg began to ache, a sharp ache that made her want to crumple on the ground. 

She was crying freely, fear coursing through her.

“Dennis,” she cried once more, her voice breaking off at the end. 

She didn’t know what else to do. She didn’t know how to stop the Beast now. She didn’t know if she even _could_ stop him. 

She only had one more thing up her sleeve. The only thing that had stalled the Beast last time. The only thing besides the scarred that marred her body. 

“Kev-” her voice broke and she felt hot tears traveling down her cheeks, her throat growing thick and full. “Kevin Wendell Crumb,” she whispered. 

Her voice barely even reached the Beast’s ears, he was still carrying on his slow pursuit. Like a large cat about to pick off his prey. 

Casey knew she only had a few moments left. He’d eventually grow bored of this slow chase. 

“Kevin Wendell Crumb!” she shouted, her voice terrified. 

The Beast’s face contorted slightly and he made a snarling noise. “Kevin Wendell Crumb!” she shouted again, watching as he stumbled and reached out for the wall, hitting it hard enough to bust a hole in the plaster. “Please,” she whimpered. 

But now, he glared harder at her, angrier than he’d been before. But something was different. Something had changed. 

She knew she might have a chance. _Just try one more time_ , her brain screamed.

“ _Kevin. Wendell. Crumb_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this. I'll hopefully have another chapter up tomorrow.
> 
> As always, you can find me on Tumblr at  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark
> 
> Or on email at   
> underling.1313@gmail.com


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey realized she’d been staring straight past him, not looking him in the eye. As if he could read her thoughts. “It’s their life too,” she whispered, voice barely audible.
> 
> Kevin made a noise, almost like a gasp, and Casey finally brought her gaze straight on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm very tired.  
> I'm also 99% sure I'm going to upload a chapter tomorrow (later today, technically, it's after 1 in the morning here) but just in case I don't get around to it, this is your chapter.  
> Enjoy

“ _Kevin. Wendell. Crumb._ ”

Her voice was crushed, terrified. The Beast took one more step forward before faltering backward, a groaning noise coming out of his mouth. He stumbled down the stairs, holding onto the sides of his head.

Casey stared at him, breathing heavily, her chest hurting with each new lungful of air. 

He lifted his head, his eyes clear. Casey let out a broken sob at the sight of him.

“Casey?” Kevin’s voice was just as confused as it had been the first time she’d met him. He was staring at her, looking around the room. “Why are you here?”

Casey couldn’t make her mind form words to come out of her lips, only managing to shake her head. 

“What did I do?” Kevin asked, echoing those words he spoke months before. “I didn’t hurt you again, did I?”

She shook her head again and she noticed that Kevin let out a breath of relief, visibly relaxing. He took a step backward, looking down at his hands, still shaking from the adrenaline that had been coursing through the Beast.

Casey started walking down the stairs, taking each step slowly to make sure she didn’t collapse, though her legs struggled with every new stair. Kevin continued stepping away from her.

“Why are you here, Casey?” he asked quietly, looking back at her as she stepped off the final stair, leaning back against the wall. 

“I…” she trailed off, taking a deep breath. “I live here,” she admitted.

Kevin looked terrified for a second. “Did we break in?” he asked, voice shocked. 

Casey shook her head quickly. “No,” she said softly. “No, you all… you all live here too.”

Kevin’s face turned to almost disgust, shaking his head. “No,” he started whispering. “No, no, that’s not okay,” he muttered, looking at her again. “Why would you let us stay here with you? We could hurt you again. Casey, the Beast just came out and tried to _kill_ you.”

Casey swallowed thickly, looking down at her hands. What was she supposed to tell him? That she’d fallen for one of his alters? That the alter she’d fallen for was one that he’d once viewed as _undesirable_? That she’d fallen for the person who had kidnapped her that first time?

But Kevin was carrying on already. “You should have killed me,” he was whispering. “I asked you to kill me. It’s _my_ life, Casey. Why couldn’t you do what I asked you?”

Casey couldn’t figure out the words he was saying. He didn’t really want that, did he? He was just upset. In the moment.

Kevin’s eyes were welling up with tears. “I wanted to die,” he whispered. “They hurt you. They hurt those girls. They killed Dr. Fletcher. I wanted to end the pain,” his voice cracked. “It’s my life, Casey. It’s my life.”

Casey realized she’d been staring straight past him, not looking him in the eye. As if he could read her thoughts. “It’s their life too,” she whispered, voice barely audible.

Kevin made a noise, almost like a gasp, and Casey finally brought her gaze straight on.

“I thought,” he started, shaking his head. “I thought the alters were making things up. I could barely hear what they were saying. But I knew they kept mentioning Dennis and some _girl_. But I couldn’t figure out who that girl was.”

 _He knows_ , Casey thought. And he looked absolutely appalled with her. He couldn’t possibly be that upset, could he?

“Casey,” Kevin whispered. “Are you okay?”

Casey nodded slowly, swallowing thickly. “I’m okay,” she murmured.

“And he’s not,” he trailed off, sighing. “He’s not forcing you to stay here, right?”

Casey shook her head. “This is all voluntary,” she whispered, looking down at her feet.

She saw Kevin’s feet appear suddenly in her vision and she looked back up again. “Casey, I need you to be honest with me,” he murmured and Casey quickly nodded. She would be honest. “Have you fallen in love with him? With Dennis?”

Casey didn’t know how to answer that. She didn’t know what answer Kevin was expecting. She didn’t know what answer would make him the least upset. She didn’t want to upset him.

But her silence was answering enough and Kevin nodded. “We all deserve love,” he finally murmured. “Just… promise me something, okay?”

Casey nodded again. “Okay,” she murmured. “What?”

Kevin stepped back again. “You stay safe,” he told her. “If he does anything that could hurt you-”

“He wouldn’t,” Casey quickly cut him off. 

Kevin smiled sadly, continuing where he had left off. “ _If_ he hurts you,” he emphasized the ‘if’ factor of it all. “I want you to promise me that you’ll leave. That you won’t stay just out of obligation.”

Casey looked him in the eyes, seeing the fear in his eyes. “I promise,” she whispered. “I swear.”

Kevin nodded once more. “Then I guess there’s only one thing left to do,” he said softly. “Goodbye, Casey.”

Casey frowned, but watched as his face changed, changing into the person she wished most to see. “Dennis?” she question, voice small and scared. 

Dennis looked relieved to see her, but she quickly realized that wasn’t it. He was relieved to see her _alive_.

“Casey,” was all he said back, taking a step forward and enveloping her in his arms. “Oh god,” he whispered. “Are you okay?”

Casey had her face buried in his chest, in shock that he was _here_. He was with her. He was okay. “I’m okay,” she whispered, finding her strength and wrapping her own arms around him. “I’m okay.”

She looked up at him, reaching up and cradling his cheek in her hand. He had tears in his eyes and she could tell there was more there than just the leftover ones from Kevin. She gently wiped one away as it fell down his cheek. “Are you okay?” she asked quietly.

She could practically see the wheels turning in Dennis’s head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I was so worried that they were going to hurt you. I’m so sorry. I should have fought harder to stay, I just, I let my guard down for one minute and-” he broke off, shaking his head.

He dropped his arms from around her. “I’m so sorry, Casey,” he whispered, swallowing thickly. “I could have gotten you so hurt. It’s all my fault. I should have fought _harder._ ” 

He kept shaking his head, stepping back away from her. “Dennis,” she whispered, reaching out for him. 

But he lifted his hand up, stopping her in her tracks. She saw his hand was shaking, he was scared. “I just, I need,” he shook his head again, turning away from her.

She watched as he began walking down the hall. He turned and looked at her one last time, tears were falling down his cheeks. Casey felt her own tears cutting hot tracks down her dry cheeks. “Dennis,” she whispered one more time, watching as he opened the door to his room. It looked like he whispered something towards her, but Casey couldn’t make out the words.

The door shut behind him, leaving silence in his wake.

Casey’s knees finally buckled and she slid down the wall, landing hard on the carpeted ground beneath her. She pulled her knees to her chest, placing her face in her hands, and began crying intensely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find me on the Tumb  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark
> 
> Or email me, I'll answer questions you have or if you just want to talk, I can do that too, probably...   
> at underling.1313@gmail.com
> 
> Until next time  
> Byyyyyyyyyyyye


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So she turned away instead, walking down the hallway again. Her mind was blank, the ringing had taken up residence in her ears again. Her stomach felt like it was being twisted. Her feet were dragging on the carpet, her legs grew more and more heavy with every step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think? you guys will like this chapter, or the end, kind of?  
> Something happens there.
> 
> Read on

Casey realized three things while sitting against the wall.

One: The wall and the floor were both incredibly uncomfortable.

Two: There was a clock on the wall directly across from her.

Three: The longer she stared at the clock, the slower the time went.

She’d been staring at the clock now for over three hours, though it felt like she’d been there for over a day. Her whole body was sore, but she couldn’t get herself to stand up.

She hadn’t heard anything from Dennis’s room, aside from random sounds of him walking around, though she had to listen close to hear those noises. 

There were moments when Casey’s mind would tell her to get up, to walk down the hallway, to go talk to him. But she couldn’t get her body to cooperate. 

_Another minute ticked by._

She heard a different noise from down the hall. Not walking. Not something she had to listen hard for. It was loud. It was sudden.

It sounded like something had fallen off a high height. Or like something was being thrown.

It was the second time the sound came that she figured out what it was.

Dennis was hitting something.

She pulled her legs closer to her chest. _What do I do?_ She asked herself, eyes glassy as she stared down the hall. 

Her legs were shaking as she tried to stand up, sore and tired. They hurt from being in the same position for too long. It took all the effort she had to get one leg to move in front of the other. 

It was like a nightmare. The hallway seemed to get longer and longer as she walked down it. Dennis’s door kept moving farther away from her, like a point she’d never be able to reach.

The sound came again and Casey flinched, memories of that sound rifling through her head. She tried to block them out, taking a deep breath.

Casey came to a stop in front of the door, staring at the wood like it held all the secrets she wished to know. 

She brought her hand up slowly, curling it into a fist to make the shaking stop. But even then, it seemed like she’d been out in the cold for hours on end. 

She didn’t feel her hand on the door as she knocked, barely even hearing the noise. There was a ringing in her ears. 

There was silence in the room again. “Dennis?” she asked carefully, quietly.

She didn’t get an answer, but it sounded like he moved closer to the door. “Dennis?” she asked again, trying to make her voice louder, but it was shaking. “Are you okay?”

There was a quiet noise against the door, followed by a soft voice. “ _Casey_ ,” it sounded like a prayer and the ringing in Casey’s ears stopped suddenly. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.

She brought her hand up to the door, palm against the cool wood, forehead falling to the door. 

But the moment of relief stopped quickly. “You should go,” Dennis said, voice sounding broken. 

Casey was shaking her head, her mind thundering. “Dennis, please,” she whispered. “Let me in. We can talk about this.”

She heard Dennis take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I can’t,” he muttered. “You shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t be near me, okay? I’m going to end up hurting you and…” he cut himself off, it sounded like he was battling tears. Casey wished for nothing else than to be able to be in there with him. To try and convince him that there was nothing he could do to hurt her. Nothing except making her leave.

“Please,” she tried again. “Please, Dennis.”

She heard him make a noise that sounded like a sob. Casey felt her heart shatter into a million tiny pieces. Broken. 

“Casey,” he said again, his voice sounded like he was trying to make a plea. “Go away. I have to be alone. I don’t want you to be here right now.”

Casey felt that familiar feeling of a slap in her face. She stumbled backward. “No,” she whispered. “Please, Dennis, I-”

“Don’t,” Dennis whispered, his voice breaking.

_Love you._

Casey took a deep breath, waiting for him to say something - _anything_ \- else, but he’d fallen silent again. 

She didn’t know what else to say, but she knew that no matter what she did say, Dennis wasn’t going to open the door.

So she turned away instead, walking down the hallway again. Her mind was blank, the ringing had taken up residence in her ears again. Her stomach felt like it was being twisted. Her feet were dragging on the carpet, her legs grew more and more heavy with every step.

It felt like it took hours to reach the living room, where she finally sat down on the couch. The television screen was blank and she stared into it. She looked ragged.

Her eyes were bloodshot, tear stains all over her cheeks, the bags under her eyes seemed more and more pronounced. 

_Don’t leave_ , her mind was whispering. _He needs you. You need him. You can’t leave now._

She hadn’t even realized that the thought of leaving was a possibility in her mind. But her subconscious had picked up on it. 

The person in the reflection wasn’t her. Not really. It was just her _now_. She would be even worse if she left now. She had to stay here. She had to be here when Dennis came out of that room. And she would be. 

Whenever Dennis decided to open that door again, whenever he had enough time to think to himself, she would be there for him. And he would be there for her. People needed to cope in different ways and she was going to let him do it in his own way.

She laid down on the couch, the events of the day catching up with her.

It felt like she’d been awake for days on end and now she felt like all she needed to do was sleep, so she closed her eyes and slipped into darkness.

…

Dennis only opened the door after absolute silence had filled the areas outside his room, no longer hearing her cry - the worst sound he’d ever heard in his life. He made sure that the door didn’t make any noise as he opened it, looking out for Casey, though he didn’t see her at all.

 _Did she leave?_ He asked himself, though he knew she wouldn’t do that. She was too caring.

He wandered out of the room, down the hall, and soon heard the soft sound of her breathing, asleep on the couch.

He walked to the front of the couch, kneeling in front of it. She looked utterly exhausted. He wished he could do something to make her feel better. But he’d also put her in this position. He wasn’t strong enough to keep Patricia or the Beast repressed. It had been terrifying, feeling her push herself into the light, push him back away from it.

Dennis reached out, his hands shaking. He pushed her hair back from her face, his hand lingering there for a moment. 

She moved slightly in her sleep. “Dennis,” she whispered. He pulled his hand back like he’d been shocked, afraid he’d woken her up. 

But her eyes stayed closed, her body still relaxed. The relaxed state you couldn’t control while asleep.

Her lips were parted slightly, her air blowing in and out. “Dennis,” she said again.

Dennis swallowed. “Casey?” he questioned, looking at her sleeping face. 

Though asleep, it seemed like she reacted to his voice, a calm look passing over her. “ _I love you_ ,” she mumbled, going still again.

Dennis took a deep breath, running his hand over his face. He should wake her up, tell her that he was sorry for what had happened. That he was sorry if he’d hurt her at all.

_But he didn’t._

He leaned forward slowly, holding his breath instinctively. He pressed his own lips to hers, a quick, chaste kiss, pulling back away from her. Her face was still blissfully asleep.

Dennis sighed, smiling softly. “I love you, too, Casey,” he whispered, kissing her forehead as he stood up.

He glanced at her one last time, before walking down the hall, back to his room.

He shut the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that.
> 
> As always, I'm on Tumblr > https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark
> 
> Or on email > underling.1313@gmail.com
> 
> until next time, dears <3


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this is coming is coming so late at night. I wanted to give it to you earlier, but I got caught up with some friends.
> 
> It was really nice, for the first time in a long time I felt like I could laugh without thinking about other things. It was great.
> 
> So have this, not the happiest chapter, but no one gets _too_ hurt in it.
> 
> Love y'all, read on.

When Casey woke again, she was still alone. She sat up, a dull pounding in her head. Groaning, she turned to look back at the hallway. Even from here, she could tell his door was closed. 

She leaned her elbows on her knees, dropping her face into her hands. There was no noise coming from his room, the only sounds being of the house moving, the heater running.

She didn’t know where he kept his medicine and though she essentially had moved in, it felt wrong to go snooping around. 

Casey thought about turning on the television, grabbing the remote and pressing the power button. She surfed through the channels, finding a news station and turning it on.

They were talking about new editions to the school buildings at first. Going over how excited the kids and the parents were, not to mention how overjoyed the staff was. She rolled her eyes, about to change to a different channel when the story changed. 

“ _Local authorities are on high watch for Kevin Crumb_ ,” she leaned forward, pulling her eyebrows together in concentration. “ _Following a new lead from local woman, Janice Robertson, who claims her foster daughter, Casey Cooke, yes, the Casey Cooke her escaped from a brutal kidnapping and double homicide of fellow classmates may know the whereabouts of Mr. Crumb_.”

She gasped, shaking her head. _No_ , she thought, covering her mouth with her hand. _Janice wouldn’t. She couldn’t._

_But she did._

“ _Authorities are warning people to stay on high alert_ ,” her picture popped up aside one of Kevin’s. “ _If you see any one of these two individuals, please be sure to contact the police in your area_.”

She heard the bedroom door open and shot up, knowing her face looked both hopeful and terrified. But she knew almost immediately that it wasn’t Dennis walking out, it was Barry.

He took in her face, full of hope, and slowly shook his head, giving her an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he murmured, walking towards her. “He’s locked up again.”

She felt her shoulders droop slightly, dropping her head down. She felt her eyes burn, but refused to cry, not right now. There were more important things to discuss. 

“Janice told the police,” she whispered when he finally reached the living room. “They’re telling everyone to look for me and for you guys. They said to call the police if anyone sees you.”

Barry nodded. “I heard it on the scanner when I was pulled to the light,” he told her, taking her hand. “I don’t think anyone’s seen us recently, though.”

Casey bit her lip. “What about your landlord?” she asked quietly, sure that he would call the police upon seeing the photo. 

Barry, though, shook his head, laughing a little bit. “I think now is time to admit something to you,” he stated. “When we got this place, we used a fake ID. Dennis had foresight enough to make those up and get fake papers. We wore a type of disguise in it,” he added. “A shaggy type of real hair wig,” he looked proud of himself, she assumed that he had come up with that idea. 

But Casey couldn’t find it in her to be as happy as he was. She was too worried about everything else. She was worried about Dennis. Was worried that now he would hate her, or would try to push her away. And she didn’t know if it would work. How far was far enough that the promise she made to Kevin would mean she would have to leave?

Barry seemed to pick up on the inner turmoil she was going through. “Talk to me, baby girl,” he murmured, guiding her towards the couch to sit back down. “What’s going on in that head of yours? What’s got you so worried?”

Casey looked down at her hands, pulling them into her lap. “Is he upset with me?” she asked after a few seconds of loaded silence. 

Barry made a noise and she looked up at the confused face he wore. “Why would he be upset with you?” he asked incredulously. 

“It’s my fault,” she muttered. “This is all my fault.”

Barry stared at her, his face conveying that he thought she had lost it entirely. “What are you talking about?” he questioned. “How is _any_ of this your fault?”

Casey looked around, not wanting to make eye contact anymore. She looked at the stairs leading to the upper level. She looked at a small picture that hung on the wall, realizing that it was a drawing of a family. In the corner, _Hedwig_ was sprawled in a childish cursive. 

“Casey?” Barry’s voice brought her back to reality. It was worried, concerned for her. It was so similar to how Dennis said her name, yet so entirely different. Full of a different warmth. 

She didn’t look him in the eyes, looking directly above his head. “She told me I made him soft,” she whispered. “That I made him _weak_.”

Barry sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “You listened to _her_?” he asked, voice almost annoyed. 

_Annoyed at me?_ Casey couldn’t help but question. _No. Annoyed at Patricia. For getting in my head._

She didn’t say anything back, looking again down at her hands. She hadn’t noticed it before, but there was a small cut on the side of her right hand. _When did that get there?_ She asked herself, assuming it must have been when she was running away from the Beast, the adrenaline causing her to not feel it.

“Honey,” Barry started. “That is exactly what Dennis needed,” he murmured, taking her hands in his own. “You may not see it, but I do. You make him happy. And he’s never felt that kind of happiness before. You’re the best thing that happened to him,” he stated. “Did he ever tell you why he came into existence?”

Casey shook her head. “No,” she murmured. “He didn’t tell me that.”

Barry nodded. “That’s typical of him,” he muttered. “Never tells anyone why he’s here. Or what he thinks he supposed to do,” Casey was listening intently now, wondering what he was going to say next, “He came out at a time when Kevin’s mom was at her worst. She had hit a point where her illness was all she was, she wasn’t anyone kind anymore. If you saw the _Horde_ as undesirables, she was only _undesirable_.”

Casey felt her heart ache at that, the thought of Kevin being stuck with someone as horrible as that.

“It was a night when Kevin had forgotten to clean the kitchen table,” Barry went on. “His mom had gone into the kitchen and found that the plates were still there and was absolutely livid. She called him downstairs and when he got there she chased him down with a knife for almost half an hour,” Casey covered her mouth with her hand, shocked at it.

“Dennis came out that night,” Barry sighed. “He always made sure everything was cleaned spotless, to save Kevin the wrath of his own mother. He made sure that nothing would ever set her off like that again. His only goal was to protect Kevin,” Casey noticed his own eyes were glassy now, thinking about all this. “I think that’s why he agreed with what Patricia was saying about the Beast. Because he saw it as someone, or some _thing_ , that could protect Kevin. And Hedwig, well, he would do anything Dennis did. That kid idolizes him, though he wouldn’t say it outright, and Dennis, as closed off to him as he acts, really cares for him too.”

Barry glanced past her, taking a deep breath. “He never let himself worry about if he was happy or healthy or safe, only if _Kevin_ was. So now, being with you, even being _near_ you, he doesn’t really know what to do. He’s never felt this kind of happiness before. He doesn’t know how to act. He just wants to make you happy, too.”

Casey swallowed thickly, the next question she wanted to ask came out before she could stop it. “Then why isn’t he _here_?” she asked, voice breaking near the end.

Something flashed in Barry’s eyes like he was hiding something, but she didn’t want to call him out on it. If it was that important, he would tell her, _right_?

“He just…” he trailed off, obviously trying to find the right words. “He feels like he broke his promise to you. He promised you that she wouldn’t come back and that you’d be _safe_ , but… he just doesn’t want you to get hurt,” he squeezed her hand. “It’s crazy how much he cares about you,” he added. “Even when he’s locked himself out so he can think, he’ll pop in to make sure you’re okay. He’s so worried now, because he doesn’t think you can be safe around him, but he keeps asking that you’re taken care of.”

Casey’s throat was growing thick, her heart squeezing in her chest. She took a deep, shaky breath. She wanted nothing more than to ask him to come out, to be here with her. But she also knew he needed time to think. Time to realize that she needed him here. With _her_.

Barry gave her a small, sad smile. “Honey… that man,” he cleared his throat. “I think he may love you.”

It was like a ghost of a memory passed over her. A whispered prayer of love, the phantom touch of lips on her own. She stole one of her hands away from Barry, her fingertips lightly touching the skin of her lips.

And then the tears began to fall, again, despite her best attempts to stop them. 

Barry pulled her into his arms, up into his lap like a child who was having a nightmare. He held her there for over an hour, before gingerly lifting her up and taking her back into the bedroom, sitting her down on the bed. “Do you want to change for bed?” he questioned gently. 

She was still wearing her jeans. “I think so,” she murmured, reaching for the bag of clothes, still sitting on the bed where she’d left them this morning. She pulled out a pair of shorts, before being hit by a wave of unknown fear. 

Casey looked up at Barry and, without stating what she wanted, he was already going to the closet. He came back with a white t-shirt and a pair of black sweats in one hand, but it was what was in the other hand that made her feel like crying again.

Hanging from his hand was one of Dennis’s button-up shirts, obviously freshly washed and ironed, if her mood wasn’t so ruined, she may have smiled at the sight. 

Barry gave her the clothes, turning around and letting her change. When she gave him the okay, he helped her into the button up. It wasn’t the best substitute for what she wanted at that moment, but it was close enough. Barry must’ve sprayed some of Dennis’s cologne on it, as she could smell the familiar scent. A scent that immediately made her think of one thing.

 _Home_.

Barry helped her into the bed, then, pulling the covers over her and tucking her in. She wouldn’t tell him, but it made her feel incredibly safe. “Thank you,” she whispered when he finished, earning her a smile. “Do you think he’ll-”

Barry cut her off. “I don’t think so, sweetheart,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, baby. I’ll see if I can get him to come out before you wake up, but please, _please_ , don’t get your hopes up. I don’t want to upset you.”

Casey nodded, though her face betrayed her, causing a small sigh to escaped Barry’s lips. “I’m sorry,” he said again, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. 

It felt almost _wrong_ , after being so used to curling up next to Dennis, being able to sleep knowing that someone was there for her if anything happened in the night, to now being so incredibly alone as Barry left the room, shutting the light off and closing the door behind him.

She curled into a ball, blinking away the tears before they could come out and stain the pillows. She didn’t want to cry anymore. She felt like she’d used all her tears up.

Eventually, the darkness took hold again and she slipped into a quiet sleep.

…

Barry stayed outside the bedroom for a few minutes after he’d closed the door, feeling sorry for the girl behind it. He wished he could do more for her, make her feel better.

But the only person who could help her now was locked inside their own brain. Barry shook his head, but didn’t miss the quiet, “ _Thank you_ ,” that resonated through the silence. He couldn’t help but smile a little, knowing that, despite not being there, Dennis couldn’t help but watch over Casey.

Barry just hoped he would do the right thing and come back for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed that chapter.
> 
> Come find me on Tumblr >> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Or email me >> underling.1313@gmail.com
> 
> Byeeeeeeeee


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hedwig made a happy noise, putting one hand on her shoulder. “No peeking,” he told her, making his voice as stern as he could. She chuckled but made sure to keep her hands over her eyes. He led her into the room, she could tell when the carpet led to the linoleum.
> 
> They came to a stop. “Don’t look yet,” Hedwig told her, making noise as he walked around the kitchen. Casey could hear him grabbing things, could hear him sit something on the table. She tried to imagine what he was doing, but couldn’t make up an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a happier chapter for you all, I hope you enjoy it.

_Knock, knock, knock._

Casey heard the noise in her dream. It sounded strange, far away and loud. 

_Knock, knock, knock._

There it was again. She was pulled out of her sleep, her eyes protesting as she tried to open them. The clock on the bedside table told her it was just after eleven in the morning. She groaned, burying her face into the pillow.

_Knock, knock, knock._

She realized now that the knocking noise was on her door and that whoever was on the other side of it was getting annoyed that she hadn’t answered yet. They let out a loud sigh. 

She knew it couldn’t be Barry, he would have knocked and then come in. And she knew, almost for certain, that it wouldn’t be Dennis outside that door. She started thinking about who else it could be when she heard an annoyed, “Caaaaaaaasey,” come from beyond the door.

Casey couldn’t help but laugh, hearing Hedwig whine from behind the wood. “Yes, Hedwig?” she called, noting that her voice sounded incredibly tired, she moved to sit up, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes.

“Barry told me I couldn’t come barging in while you were asleep,” Hedwig yelled through the door. “But I gotta show you something.”

She sighed, knowing that she wasn’t going to get any more sleep now that Hedwig was on the other side of the door. “I’m coming!” she announced, standing up slowly to make sure she didn’t get a headrush. 

She still had Dennis’s shirt on and she pulled it tighter around her body, using it as a protective layer. 

Hedwig had his hand raised still when she opened the door, as though he had grown bored of her still not being there and was about to knock again. A wide smile grew on his face as soon as he saw her. “Casey!” he exclaimed. “I thought you was never gonna come out.”

He looked slightly guilty, though, his face immediately casting down. Casey frowned, looking up at him. “What’s that look for, Hedwig?” she asked.

Hedwig stuck his lips out like he was trying to decide what to tell her.

“You don’t think I let Ms. Patricia out, do you?” he asked after a few seconds, looking away from her. “Cause I didn’t. I didn’t want her to come out. She said I didn’t do a good job and that I wasn’t good-”

Casey cut him off by grabbing his hands quickly. “Of _course_ I don’t blame you,” she told him. “I wouldn’t blame you for that. I know you didn’t do it. And you are good. Very good.”

His smile was back, looking at her eyes again. “You promise?” he asked.

Casey nodded. “I swear it.”

Hedwig bounced a little, pulling one of his hands away. “I gotta show you something,” he said quickly, starting to drag her towards the kitchen. If he hadn’t been a child in an adults body, he most likely wouldn’t have been able to pull her far, but he nearly pulled her off her feet as he started walking. He kept looking back at her as they walked, as though he wasn’t sure if she was still there or not.

He stopped her before they reached the doorway. “You gotta close your eyes,” he told her, taking his hands and covering his own, showing her how to do it. “Like this.”

Casey raised an eyebrow at him but figured it would do no good to argue with him. She did as he was showing her, using both hands to cover her eyes. “Okay, Hedwig. I’m ready.”

Hedwig made a happy noise, putting one hand on her shoulder. “No peeking,” he told her, making his voice as stern as he could. She chuckled but made sure to keep her hands over her eyes. He led her into the room, she could tell when the carpet led to the linoleum.

They came to a stop. “Don’t look yet,” Hedwig told her, making noise as he walked around the kitchen. Casey could hear him grabbing things, could hear him sit something on the table. She tried to imagine what he was doing, but couldn’t make up an idea.

“Oooookay,” Hedwig announced, she could tell he was across the kitchen from her. “You can look now.”

What she saw almost made her break out in tears. And for the first time in days, they were tears of joy that gathered in her eyes. 

On the table was a homemade cake, covered in intricately designed frosting and fondant. She covered her mouth, staring at it. On one side of the table were boxes, wrapped in different papers. 

Hedwig was looking at her with all the hope in the world, though he seemed increasingly confused as the tears began falling down her face. “Do you not like it?” he asked.

Casey shook her head. “No, no,” she whispered. “No, I love it.”

Hedwig didn’t look convinced. “You’re crying,” he said, pointing at her like he thought she didn’t already know. 

Casey laughed, wiping her face off. “Sorry,” she told him. “They’re happy tears. I promise.”

Hedwig seemed okay with that explanation, gesturing to the presents. “Let’s do your presents first!” he said excitedly, grabbing a present with bright yellow paper, haphazardly wrapped around a box. “This one is from me,” he told her, handing it to her. 

Casey moved a chair out to sit down, setting the present on the table and starting to open it. Inside was a photo book. She cocked her head to the side, looking up at Hedwig. “Open it,” he told her, pointing down at the book. 

She opened the front of the book, the first page held a hand-drawn picture of a group of people. It was similar to the one hanging in the living room, only now there was a small change. There were four people in front of a small house, a sun in the background and flowers sprouting up. The four drawings were holding hands, each of them with a name written over them. There was Dennis, Barry, Hedwig, and in the middle, Casey saw a girl with long brown hair, her own name written over the girl. 

Casey covered her mouth, running her fingers over the drawing. “I love it, Hedwig,” she told him. 

Hedwig blushed, waving her off. “Oh, you’re just sayin’ that,” he mumbled, but he was smiling, wider than before. “There’s a few more in there.”

Casey flipped the page carefully. The next one held the drawing of a rose in an array of different colors. The next page was similar to the picture they had made together, the colors changed a bit. The last drawing was a simpler rendition of the one she had made for Hedwig. The lines were a bit messier, the deer wasn’t quite as proportionate as her own, but to her it was perfect. 

“The rest of the pages are for you to put your own pictures in,” Hedwig explained. “Either ones you draw or ones you take with the camera that- uh, nevermind,” he mumbled. 

He handed her another one, wrapped in brightly colored paper. “This one is from Barry,” he told her. 

She pulled the paper off the box, lifting the lid and looking down at the contents. The first few things were different articles of articles of clothing. Jeans, shirts (long sleeved, thankfully), some more sweats, some more hoodies, and pajama shirts. As she pulled each piece out, she unfolded and refolded them, setting each thing on the table in front of her. In the bottom of the box was a folded piece of paper, she pulled it out slowly. 

_I’m sorry I’m not there to see you open this. I promised Hedwig he could eat the cake and somehow it came to him being the one there when you opened the presents as well. Please, have a good day. Enjoy everything you get. You can complain about what we spent when I’m back in the light. Keep your head held high, baby girl._

_All of the love,_

_Barry_

_P.S. I made the cake, don’t believe what Hedwig says._

She smiled, holding it close to her chest after she read it. She opened the photobook and stuck it inside, before packing the clothes back into the box. She would have complained to Hedwig but knew he would make a bigger deal out of it than necessary to Barry.

There were two more boxes on the table, one small and one larger. She looked up at Hedwig, watching as he grabbed the bigger box. “You’re supposed to open the small one last,” he told her, nodding to himself as if he was happy he’d remembered that. 

She took the box from him, this one was wrapped in the same yellow paper that Hedwig’s had been wrapped in. “Barry let me wrap this one too,” he explained, holding his chin up high. “This is from me, Barry, and Mr. Dennis,” he added.

Casey opened it slowly, finding another box. She lifted the lid, first seeing a Polaroid camera. Suddenly, Barry’s letter made even more sense. She couldn’t imagine how much this had been, not to mention the extra photo paper with it. Under those, she found a new sketchbook along with a new set of pencils, both regular and colored, and different art supplies, from erasers to brushes and paints. It was too much, but she’d follow Barry’s instructions and complain to him when he came back.

“Do you like it?” Hedwig asked as she was placing it all back in the box, holding the smaller box in his hands.

Casey nodded. “It’s great, Hedwig,” she told him. “I really like it all. Now I can draw whenever I want and I can take all kind of photos.”

Hedwig nodded, slowly handing her the small box. “This is from Mr. Dennis,” he murmured as she took it from him.

It was wrapped in simple black paper and she smiled at the elegance of it. It was perfectly wrapped up. She was careful as she unwrapped it, as though she was afraid that she would ruin the paper that was meant to be torn off. 

Inside was a small box, a jewelry box. She opened it slowly, revealing a small coin necklace. And outer circle and an inner circle. The outer circle had words on it, the top saying _Saint Christopher_ and the bottom reading _Protect Us_. She took it out, staring at it for a few seconds before putting it on quickly, holding it in her hand and closing her eyes. 

“Uh, Casey?” Hedwig asked and she opened her eyes to look at him. He was holding a piece of paper. “This is also from Mr. Dennis.”

She took the paper from him, unfolding it and looking at the beautiful handwriting on it. 

_Casey,_

_I’m sorry I’m not there right now. If I knew… If I knew you would be absolutely safe with me, I would come to the light. I’ll be back, I swear I will. Until then, I know Hedwig and Barry will take care of you and keep you safe._

_I hope you like your present, I wanted something significant. It’s Saint Christopher, the protector. So that even if I’m not with you, I can protect you._

_Please forgive me for not being with you right now. I’m so sorry._

_Love,_

_Dennis_

Casey swallowed the tears that came up, not wanting to cry in front of Hedwig. “Thank you,” she whispered, looking at the ceiling. 

Hedwig seemed restless. “Is it time for cake?” he asked as soon as she looked back at him again. 

Casey nodded. “Yeah,” she murmured, hoping he wouldn’t pick up on how heavy her voice sounded. “It’s time for cake.”

Barry had had the foresight to cut the cake and she got both of them their own slices on a plate each. 

Hedwig had a mouthful of cake when he suddenly was staring at her again. “Casey,” he gasped, swallowing his food. He pointed at the shirt she was wearing. “You _like_ Mr. Dennis,” he said, almost like he was betrayed. 

Casey could help but laugh, taking the necklace in her hand again. “Do you think he might like me back?” she asked him.

Hedwig huffed. “I think so,” he mumbled, obviously a bit upset. “Do you like him more than me?”

Casey smiled. “Not in the same way,” she told him. “You’re still incredible.”

Hedwig nodded, going back to his food.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's what that necklace would look like in my mind > https://www.catholicshop.com/-22339.html
> 
> Find me on Tumblr > https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark
> 
> Or on Email : underling.1313@gmail.com


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hedwig jumped up, grabbing her arm and pulling her down the hallway. “I wanna watch a movie,” he told her, pointing towards the couch while he went to look at the movies they had. He pulled a couple out, staring at each of them before shaking his head and tossing them away. He eventually only had one in each hand, turning his head back and forth as he looked at them, try8ing to decide which one he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured I wouldn't hurt you guys for this chapter yet.
> 
> But the next one is yet to be written, so...

The cake, as Casey expected it to be, was absolutely amazing. It was a chocolate and vanilla marble cake and Casey was impressed by Barry’s baking ability. 

She only ate one slice, knowing she shouldn’t eat too much sugar without eating actual food, but Hedwig was three slices in when he decided he was too full to eat anymore. 

Casey took the dishes from the table, making sure they were cleaned spotless before putting them away in a cupboard. Hedwig watched her, obviously wanting her to hurry up, he was growing impatient. 

When she finally finished making sure everything was put away, she turned to Hedwig. “What’s next?” she asked him. 

Hedwig jumped up, grabbing her arm and pulling her down the hallway. “I wanna watch a movie,” he told her, pointing towards the couch while he went to look at the movies they had. He pulled a couple out, staring at each of them before shaking his head and tossing them away. He eventually only had one in each hand, turning his head back and forth as he looked at them, trying to decide which one he wanted. 

“This one,” he announced, tossing one away and moving to put the other in the DVD player, turning the television on and messing with the remote to get the movie to start playing.

Casey sucked in a breath as _Finding Nemo_ began playing. It was one of the kids’ favorite movies to watch, they would watch it back to back for days if they could. Casey knew the whole movie by heart at this point. 

Hedwig jumped onto the couch next to her, already entranced by the beginning scene. It reminded her so much of her foster siblings that she felt like her heart was physically breaking. She knew she couldn’t tell Hedwig to turn it off, though, as he would ask too many questions and she may burst into tears. So she tried to tune the movie out, blurring her vision so it was just a mess of colors running into each other. 

Hedwig started glancing over at her about halfway through the movie. He was being less than subtle, moving practically his whole body every time he did it. 

After nearly five times of him doing it, she finally sighed and looked over at him. “Is everything alright over there, Hedwig?” she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. 

Hedwig was biting down on his bottom lip, twisting his hands together. “Are you sad, Casey?” he asked after staring at her. 

Casey cocked her head to the side, sure Hedwig couldn’t have picked up on her mood that easily, she was so used to covering it up. “Why do you ask that?” she questioned. 

Hedwig looked down at his hands, playing with his fingers. “Well, Barry said,” he trailed off, seeming to be trying to decide if he’d get in trouble for telling her. “Barry said I could come out to make you happy and I only need help being happy when I’m really sad,” he finally murmured. “Are you really sad, Casey?”

Casey sighed, closing her eyes to take a moment to herself, when she opened them again, Hedwig was looking at her with an empathetic look on his face. “I am a ltitle sad,” she admitted, swallowing thickly. “I miss my foster siblings.”

Hedwig looked confused at that. “What’s a foster sibling?” he asked her. “And where’d they go?”

Casey smiled. “A foster sibling is a brother or a sister,” she began explaining. “You aren’t related by blood, which means you don’t have the same mom or dad, but you’re still siblings. You still love each other like a fully related family,” Hedwig was nodding along with her, seeming entranced by her explanation. “And… they’re still at home,” she whispered, feeling her throat close up. 

She had to take a moment again, looking up at the ceiling to keep from crying. “They couldn’t come with me. My foster mom and I… we got into an argument and I had to leave, and they… they couldn’t come with me,” she choked up. “They had to stay with her.”

Hedwig looked just as sad as Casey felt now. “Why did you guys fight?” he asked, voice quiet like he wasn’t sure if he should really ask or not.

Casey took a deep breath. “I don’t think we should talk about that right now,” she murmured. 

Hedwig looked down at his hands again, almost guiltily. “Was it because of us?” he asked softly. 

Casey sighed, trying to get the right words. She didn’t want to say yes, she didn’t want Hedwig to feel bad, so she said, “Kind of, it was also because of me,” she told him. “I said some things and she didn’t like them so we got in a fight and now… here we are.”

Hedwig frowned slightly. “Do you wish you weren’t here with us?” he asked softly.

Casey shook her head. “I’m glad I’m here with you,” she told him gently. 

Hedwig nodded and, seeming happy with her saying that, turned back to the movie, eyes following the changing scenes as they happened. But that only lasted another twenty minutes or so, before Hedwig was looking back at her again. 

Casey tried to ignore him, hoping if she didn’t look at him he wouldn’t ask her any more questions that could end with her crying again.

But Hedwig had other ideas. Even though she wasn’t looking at him, he wasn’t going to let that deter his next question. “Casey?” he murmured. “Do you miss Mr. Dennis?”

Casey bit her bottom lip, looking over at him. “Why would you think that?” she asked, wanting to know the reasoning behind his question.

Hedwig shrugged, pursing his lips as he looked around the room. “You got his shirt on,” he said simply, nodding as if that was all that he needed to say, looking back at her.

Casey chuckled slightly, looking down at the shirt. She knew she looked silly wearing it over her t-shirt and sweats, but she pulled it tighter around her upon its mention. “Yeah,” she murmured. “Yeah, I miss him. I wish he’d come back to the light to talk to me, but I don’t want you to have to leave,” she added the last part quickly, not wanting Hedwig to feel like she didn’t want him to be there. 

Hedwig made a face but it didn’t seem to bother him too much. “Does- does Mr. Dennis make you happy?” he asked her, cocking his head to the side to look at her. 

Casey smiled, hand coming up to hold onto her necklace, thumb rubbing the smooth side. “He does,” she whispered, closing her eyes for a second. 

Hedwig groaned and Casey opened her eyes to look at him, almost laughing at the expression on his face. It was the same face a kid would make when they saw their parents kissing. After getting over that, however, he spoke again. “I think you make Mr. Dennis happy too,” he mumbled. “He keeps talking to the other alters, telling them- us- that we need to take care of you, make sure you’re okay,” he carried on. “He tries to keep us out but we can hear him sometimes.”

Casey listened carefully. “And today, when he saw you open his present, he got really happy,” he continued. “He really got happy when he saw you put it on. And when he locked us in the bedroom, he was crying, which I never really see him do,” he seemed to realize that he was rambling on and he quickly covered his mouth. “I don’t think he would want me to tell you all that. Especially since he came out while you were asleep and told you that he loved you and stuff,” his eyes grew wide, shaking his head. “He’s gonna get so mad at me, forget I told you that.”

Casey nodded. “I’ll pretend that I never heard you say that,” she told him gently. “I promise.”

Hedwig seemed to like that answer and turned back to the movie again, watching intently as the fish began their big attempt to escape.

“Can I hold your hand?” he asked suddenly, turning so quickly Casey barely had time to react. He was holding his hand out to her, waiting for her to take it.

Casey laughed softly. “Okay,” she mumbled, reaching out and taking his hand.

Casey was still staring down at his hand as it began to tighten around her own. She frowned, raising her head up to look at Hedwig. What she saw was a face that was less childlike and excited, she was greeted with concern and care. The carefree nature had melted away. 

“ _Casey…_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr > https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email > underling.1313
> 
> Like or comment or something, love all of you


	20. Chapter Nineteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casey cut him off before he could apologize again. “I’m okay,” she whispered. “I’m okay, I promise,” she tilted her head up so that she could look at his face, seeing tears in his eyes, he was blinking to try and get them to go away. “I’m alright,” she murmured. “It wasn’t your fault. It’s not your job to be the protector all the time,” she unconsciously grabbed her necklace. “You didn’t mean for it to happen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you guys are gonna like this one, once you get past the sadness that is Casey talking about her past.
> 
> Read on, folks

“ _Casey_ …” Dennis’s voice was a relief to hear. Casey’s heart stuttered in her chest and she couldn’t help but wonder if this was all Hedwig’s plan. If he knew Dennis would come out or if he forced him out instead. 

Casey stared at him, unable to make proper words come out of her mouth. She hadn’t expected to see him back so soon. She figured she’d have to wait for days to even hear his voice again. “Dennis?”

He was staring just as hard back at her, his eyes wide with shock. His eyes were glancing back and forth between her face and their hands, linked together. She began believing more and more that this was a plan by Hedwig.

Dennis lifted her hand up to his chest, holding it there for a second, his eyes closing. When they opened again, he dropped her hand, pulling her close to his chest, arms wrapping tightly around her. Casey sucked in a breath at the sudden contact, before her own arms were wrapping around his back.

“I’m so sorry,” Dennis was saying, repeating the words over and over again. “I’m so sorry. God, I’m sorry,” his words were rushed out of his lips. “I should have protected you better,” she could feel him whispering into her hair. “I should have tried harder to keep them away from you. I just… I just wasn’t paying attention and they- they slipped through somehow, I’m so-”

Casey cut him off before he could apologize again. “I’m okay,” she whispered. “I’m okay, I promise,” she tilted her head up so that she could look at his face, seeing tears in his eyes, he was blinking to try and get them to go away. “I’m alright,” she murmured. “It wasn’t your fault. It’s not your job to be the protector all the time,” she unconsciously grabbed her necklace. “You didn’t mean for it to happen.”

A tear slipped down his face and Casey reached up to wipe it away with the pad of her thumb. “I’m okay,” she said again. Dennis closed his eyes, coming closer and resting his forehead against hers. They were breathing the same air and Casey wondered how he was this close to her. How he could handle breathing air that someone had already breathed. 

After a few minutes of silence, Dennis pulled back from her, his eyes flashing between hers. Only once did they deviate from the course they were on, glancing down at her shirt- his shirt. He looked up at her face again, raising an eyebrow. 

She looked down, noting that the shirt was wrinkled slightly. One hand was holding on to the fabric. “Uh,” she started, taking a breath. “Barry gave it to me,” she admitted. “I think… it was a way for him to help me feel better. Safer,” she looked up at him again, seeing a hint of a smile on his own lips.

“It looks good on you,” he told her, his voice somewhat awkward like he wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to tell her. 

Casey felt her cheeks heat up and wiped a hand across her face to try and hide it. “I’m sorry it’s wrinkled,” she mumbled, trying to smooth it out slightly.

But Dennis’s hand came up to stop her own, taking it in a soft grasp. “It’s okay,” he murmured, nodding slightly. 

He cleared his throat suddenly, taking his hand back. “How was your birthday party with Hedwig?” he questioned, glancing around the room, always nervous it seemed. 

Casey smiled, sighing slightly as she pulled her hands back to herself. “It was nice,” she told him softly. “The cake was really good and Hedwig was super excited. It almost made me forget the last few days,” she trailed off, shaking her head. She reached up and took hold of her necklace again. “You guys spent too much,” she said quickly, trying to change the subject back. 

Dennis didn’t question her decision to change the subject, though Casey knew he’d probably bring it up later on. “We wanted to make sure it was memorable. We wanted to get you things that you would like,” Casey laughed softly. “Did you like the presents? Barry was really certain you’d like the camera and we all know how much you like to draw so…” he trailed off, not mentioning his own gift. “And Hedwig was very adamant about getting you a book for your drawings and pictures. And Barry said you needed new clothes. ‘ _A fresh start_ ’, he called it.”

Casey couldn’t help but smile at him. She liked the thought that had gone into her presents, it was the most thought she’d had put into her that she’d remembered in ages. “I really liked the presents,” she murmured. “I’m excited to get out and start using the camera. I’ve only ever had my phone camera and it wasn’t the greatest. I usually just draw pictures that I want to keep in my head.”

Dennis’s face changed slightly, such a small change Casey wouldn’t have noticed it if she hadn’t been paying close attention. It was sadness and a small hint of underlying anger. She was almost certain where that anger was pointed. _Her uncle_.

“And Hedwig’s gift was really thoughtful,” she added, trying to get that anger to leave his body. “The pictures were,” she took a deep breath. “I really loved them,” the unspoken statement that the most important picture was the one of the family. _Their_ family. 

The smile was back on Dennis’s face, fond and caring. “And uh,” he gestured to her necklace, her hand still around it. “You like the necklace?”

Casey nodded. “I do,” she whispered. “I love it,” she was rubbing the smooth side. “It’s actually the only piece of jewelry I have,” she admitted, shrugging slightly. 

But Dennis wasn’t going to let that one go without a mention. “What do you mean?” he questioned, looking at her quizzically.

Casey opened and closed her mouth, clearing her throat. “Uh,” she struggled. She didn’t know if she should actually tell him or not. It wasn’t something that was going to make him happy and she was afraid that it would make him angry instead. “My dad gave me my mother’s ring on a necklace when I was a kid,” she started, biting her bottom lip. “But when he,” her voice cracked, she hated talking about this. “When he died, my Uncle John took the necklace away,” she whispered. 

She took a minute, taking a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down. “I never knew what he did with it,” she mumbled. “I always assumed he probably threw it out with the garbage but I was always too afraid to ask him,” she was still rubbing the pendant, trying to remind herself that she was here. She was _here_ with Dennis, not there. She was safe here. “Anytime I would ask for jewelry he would always tell me no. He said that only… he said only whores would wear jewelry,” she muttered. 

Dennis’s face was pained now, he was trying to continue to listen, but Casey could see the anger boiling just below the surface. He was angry, but he was trying to keep her from becoming upset. He had reached forward and taken her hand at some point, but Casey hadn’t noticed until now. “If I got a piece of jewelry from a friend - not that I had many - or from a boy when I was younger, I would be excited and try to show it off,” she blinked away tears forming, burning at her eyes. “And then suddenly it would just be gone. I used to ask my uncle if he knew where it was, but he would accuse me of not trusting him and would yell at me,” she winced, knowing what she was hiding behind those words.

Dennis seemed to understand those unspoken words as well, squeezing her hand gently, rubbing circles on the back of it with his thumb. “I just stopped showing him, I wouldn’t wear them, I would hide the pieces in my room,” she closed her eyes for a split second. “He came in one night and found them. Threw them all into a fire and made me watch. Any piece of jewelry someone gave me after that I just got rid of them myself. It was easier to do that than to deal with the pain and hurt of when he would throw them away. It stopped one thing that he would get angry about. One less reason for him to,” she broke off, her voice stuttering to a stop.

“He always told me that it drew too much attention to me,” she said after getting her bearings back. “He would say that I didn’t need people’s attention on me because all I needed was _his_ attention,” she spat out the last part. “So I started wearing bigger clothes, clothes over clothes over clothes, just adding so many layers. So that no one would pay attention to me.”

She was finished now, a few tears falling down her face. She hated it. She hated feeling weak. Hated that it might upset Dennis. Hated her uncle for making her feel like this. 

Dennis’s free hand came up to cup her cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumb. He was looking at her like he could see past all the walls she put up. Like he could see everything she ever went through. “You deserve attention,” he whispered after a few moments. “You deserve all the attention drawn to you. You deserve happiness and everything. You deserve _everything_.”

Casey swallowed thickly, those words making her heart skip a few beats, running rampant in her chest. “No one’s said that to me,” she whispered. “I don’t…. How can you say that?”

Dennis smiled gently, they were close now. “You’re amazing, Casey,” he murmured. “I know you can’t see it, but you are incredible. You’re the most… _incredible_ person, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. And you deserve all the happiness in the world.”

Casey stared at his eyes. Those blue eyes that used to scare her, that used to haunt her dreams. Now those blue eyes were her reason to keep going. They were her saving grace from all the terrible things in her life. Those blue eyes.

Dennis was staring just as deeply into her own eyes. Her heart was still beating fast, threatening to explode from her chest in only a few seconds. His hand was still on her cheek, a warm presence there. 

He opened his mouth as if to speak, closing it a second later. She watched his tongue dart out and across his lips. Casey let out a small breath, praying he couldn’t tell how fast her heart was beating. 

And then Dennis seemed to decide on what he wanted to say. He took a deep breath like he was trying to work up the courage to actually say it. “ _Casey_ ,” he whispered.

Casey didn’t say anything back, her brain and her mouth no longer on the same frequency. Dennis seemed to understand and spoke again. “Would it be absolutely appalling,” her heart stuttered again. “Would it be absolutely appalling if I were to kiss you right now?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed that, I'll probably have another chapter up tomorrow, hopefully. But I work right after I get out of classes so I won't have a lot of time to write another one. I'll try to get one up, though. I promise I'll try.
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313
> 
> Like, comment, or that stuff
> 
> <3


	21. Chapter Twenty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And that feeling of fireworks _exploded._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like this chapter  
> You may like this chapter  
> Be warned of possible triggering parts near the end, involving scars. 
> 
> Not too much I don't think

“ _Would it be absolutely appalling if I were to kiss you right now_?”

Casey had a thousand different things in her head. A thousand different ways to say yes, zero ways to say no. Her eyes were bouncing from his eyes to his lips, heart moving a mile a second. She couldn’t get her brain and her body to agree on what to say. _How_ to say yes.

She felt her head nodding slightly, felt her lips open, heard her voice, so quiet, whisper, “ _Please._ ”

Dennis seemed like he was trying to decide if she was being completely honest, entirely serious. The hand on her cheek was moving slightly, his thumb rubbing gently on the soft skin there. 

But that look only lasted a split second and suddenly he was leaning in close to her.

Casey didn’t like the clichés that fireworks went off when you kissed someone for the first time. But the second their lips touched, she felt like everything suddenly made sense. Her eyes closed slowly, her hands unsure of what to do. 

Dennis had dropped her hand, his free arm wrapping around her back and pulling her closer to him. The hand on her cheek moved slowly to cup the back of her head, tangling up in her hair. 

She took her hand off her necklace, not wanting to trap it there, and chose to grab hold of Dennis’s shirt, holding tightly in her grasp.

His lips were softer than she’d imagined they’d be. He tasted like the cake they had eaten earlier on in the day. 

Casey moved slightly, pulling her legs up underneath her body. It gave Dennis more leverage to pull her even closer. They were practically one person now. 

Casey could feel Dennis’s hand on his back traveling up and down, a comforting touch to her. The hand in her hair was continuing to get tangled there, a sharp pain traveling through her scalp every few seconds.

She had to pull away for a second, pressing her forehead against Dennis’s, catching her breath. Her eyes were still closed when she pressed back in again. 

The kisses were more rushed now, both of them pressing harder against the other like they were keeping them above water. 

It was the first real kiss Casey had ever had. Even as a child, she’d never kissed a boy. She never got to play silly childish games like _Spin the Bottle_ or _Seven Seconds in Heaven_. She’d never even been to a birthday party that had guys there. If her uncle found out that it was a co-ed party, it would suddenly be ‘cancelled’. It wasn’t until he had broken her down, broken her to a point that she never even looked at a boy that he finally let her go to those parties. 

Dennis whispered something against her lips, so soft that Casey couldn’t make out the words. His hand was at the small of her back down, holding her close. 

He whispered again and this time, Casey could make out every single word against her lips. “ _I love you_.”

She gasped slightly, pulling back away from him. His eyes were wide with fear, fear at what he’d said or fear at how she would react to the words, to the kiss. 

He started shaking his head as she continued staring silently at him, her brain trying to decipher the words he’d just said. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry.”

Casey started mimicking him, shaking her own head. She noted that his hand was still on her back, still tangled in her hair. He didn’t _want_ to let go of her and she didn’t want him to. “No,” she whispered. “No, I…” she trailed off, taking a deep breath. “I love you too.”

His eyes flashed between her own as if he was trying to pick up on any deception in her voice. But she knew he would find none. The only thing he would find was her own fear of the statement. She knew she had tears in her eyes but she chose to ignore them, chose to continue looking at him. 

He cocked his head to the side as he looked at her. “Then why are you crying?” he asked gently, not trying to accuse her of anything but wanting a genuine answer to a genuine question. 

Casey’s hands loosened slightly on his shirt, palms laying against his chest. “No one’s… no one’s said that to me since my dad died,” she whispered. “Not in a way that I _trust_ , in a way that makes me feel safe. It was always used in a way to- to _hurt_ me. To make me feel an obligation to stay.”

Dennis was looking at her like she was the only person in the world. “I never thought anyone would say it to me again,” she murmured. “And I’m… I’m _terrified_ ,” Dennis’s face took on a look of confusion. “Not because of you,” she said quickly. “But because… I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want… I don’t want you to get bored of me and leave or to grow to hate me,” she choked up, trying to take a deep breath. 

Dennis shook his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. “I could never hate you,” he whispered. “And the moment I want to leave you is the moment it’s all over,” he told her gently. “You don’t need to think of yourself as anything less than extraordinary.”

She wiped her tears away from her face, dropped her head on to his shoulder. The hand in her hair moved to join the one on her back, though the second one was higher than the first. 

She wrapped her arms around him and he began to rock her slowly. She realized now that at some point during the kissing session, Dennis’s hand had slipped under her shirt slightly. She could feel him now, his thumb resting lightly on top of some of her scars on her side. 

Casey lifted her head up to look at him. His eyes were full of compassion, full of love. “Can I see them?” he asked after a few seconds, clearing his throat. “I mean… I saw them that night, but…” he trailed off, biting his lip.

Casey swallowed thickly. Only two people had knowingly seen her scars before, aside from the doctors that checked her over. The person who gave them to her and the thing that tried to kill her. She’d always covered herself up, made sure that no one could ever possibly see them. It was to keep people from asking questions. To keep her from being pulled from the only family she had left, back when she thought that family was the most important thing, despite what they did to you. 

Dennis was waiting for her to say something, to say anything. She knew that he wouldn’t be upset with her if she said no, he would understand. But at the same time, she wanted him to see them. To know what she had gone through in her life. It would be so much easier for him to understand why she would act as she did. 

It seemed like too much, though. Sitting here on this couch. It seemed like too much. “Not here,” she whispered, her voice low and timid. _Scared. Of what_? She realized she was scared that it would make him want to leave. Like he wouldn’t want someone as broken as she was. 

Dennis nodded, moving to stand, holding a hand out to help her up. Her tears had left her eyes now, the only reminder of them being the stiff way her cheeks moved now. He kept a gentle hold on her hand as he guided her towards the only other room they’d spent time in. His bedroom.

Casey wondered if this should feel worse than the living room. If by doing this _there_ , if it was going to be too much when she woke up in the morning. But she continued to follow him, walking into the room and letting him shut the door behind her. It was in a compassionate way, a way that showed he was trying to make her feel good, to make her feel safe. 

He guided her towards the bed, turning to look at her with concern on his face. He didn’t want to make her do anything that she didn’t want to. It made her heart hurt to think that. That she had a choice when she never used to get one.

Her hands were on the edge of her shirt now, twisting the fabric there. Dennis moved closer to her, putting his own hands on top of hers. He waited for her to stop him, but she didn’t. He carefully started lifting the bottom of her shirt up, keeping his eyes on her face. Her heart was about to beat out of her chest again. She wondered if it was possible that she could have a heart attack, right here. 

She lifted her hands above her head, letting him pull the shirt off entirely, sitting it down on the bed - Casey caught him folding it slightly before putting it down completely. 

He was still looking her in the eyes and she felt her hands unconsciously move to cover her stomach, something she’d always done. He was holding her hands again, eyes finally moving down. She could tell when he reached the scars on her torso, his breath hitching in his throat. He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. _In and out._

When his eyes opened again, Casey was certain that he was going to turn away from her and leave. His right hand was suddenly there on her stomach, fingers moving gently over her scars, touch feather-light. He was making sure he didn’t hurt her, didn’t scare her. 

Dennis looked up at her again, eyes catching for a second on the scars on her shoulders, though he didn’t linger there, looking at her eyes instead. His blue eyes held all the love that she felt she’d been robbed of for years. 

She stared back at him, unsure of what her next move should be. His arm suddenly wrapped around her back, pulling her into his chest. She kept her head tilted up to look at him, breath coming out quickly. “Casey,” he murmured and she found that she’d never grow tired of how he said her name. “They don’t make you any less than magnificient,” he told her gently. “You’re amazing. You’re beautiful.”

Casey felt her eyes burn and grit her teeth together, not wanting to cry again. She didn’t want to cry anymore. His free hand came up to cup her cheek again, his thumb running over her dark circles under her eyes. His face came closer and Casey found herself leaning up on her tip toes. 

And then his lips met hers again. And that feeling of fireworks _exploded._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked that one.   
> Sorry I uploaded it too late, I barely had any time to write today but I wanted to get a chapter for you all
> 
> Like comment or something  
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com
> 
> <3


	22. Chapter Twenty-One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dennis’s chest was warm. Incredibly warm. Casey felt like she was next to a space heater. She could feel his chest move even more now, could feel him take each breath in and let each breath out. Her hands no longer had anything to hold on to and instead were following his lead, wrapped around his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. This one was a long time coming.  
> I'm so sorry I made you guys wait so long for this, but I hope it's worth it.  
> Enjoy, sweets.  
> But like, be prepared.

The kiss was unlike anything Casey had ever felt before. 

She thought of all the amazing moments in her life - which admittedly those moments were few and far between. She remembered her father giving her a puppy for her birthday the year before he died. She’d loved that dog, but after her father died, her dog ran away. At least that’s what she’d been told. 

But even that feeling of euphoria when she first saw that small puppy was nothing compared to what she was feeling now. She couldn’t even think of the words to describe what she felt like at that moment. 

Dennis’s hands were holding her close to his chest, warm and solid against her back. She couldn’t help but feel tiny there.

She hadn’t realized her hands were moving at first. She knew they were tangled up in the hem of Dennis’s shirt, but it took her a few moments to realize that she was starting to lift the fabric up. Dennis seemed to both notice and not. He barely broke apart from her to lift the shirt over his head, before coming back and kissing her again. 

Dennis’s chest was warm. Incredibly warm. Casey felt like she was next to a space heater. She could feel his chest move even more now, could feel him take each breath in and let each breath out. Her hands no longer had anything to hold on to and instead were following his lead, wrapped around his back. 

Dennis was shuffling his feet slightly, Casey had to pay attention as she was moved backward. The backs of her knees hit to bed suddenly, sending a slight jolt through her that knocked her down. She felt herself fall back onto the covers, felt Dennis move her slightly. He moved her up on the bed, lifting her head gently to lay it on the pillows. Casey couldn’t help but be impressed by how easily he did it. He didn’t even break the kiss. 

Casey didn’t know how her heart hadn’t exploded by this point. She was sure it was on its last leg, the sound of it thundering in her ears. She knew that there was no way Dennis couldn’t feel it now, the only thing between them being her bra. 

Casey knew Dennis felt things strongly, was enthusiastic in nearly everything he did. She couldn’t keep her focus on just one thing, though she tried to stay focused on the kiss. But her mind wandered. Wandered to the hands traveling over her body, never staying in one spot for too long. 

Dennis leaned back, looking down at Casey. He was breathing heavily, his pupils wide. Casey knew that she no doubt looked very much the same to him. She reached up, lightly touching his cheek. Dennis’s face softened slightly as he looked down at her, hands stalling near her hips. 

Dennis’s lips lifted into a smile, tipping his head towards her hand. “You know something, Casey?” he asked softly, Casey shook her head slightly, watching the way his lips moved as he talked. She noted that his lips were slightly puffy, red, and then he was talking again. “You’re gorgeous,” he whispered, dipping his head down slightly and kissing her cheek. “Beautiful really,” he added, dropping down more, lips trailing over her jawline. “Incredible, extraordinary,” with every new word, he traveled down a little more, now at her throat. 

Casey felt her chin lift up unconsciously, her eyes gazed up at the ceiling. She focused on the ceiling tiles, following the lines of them in an attempt to calm her beating heart. Dennis’s focus was on her collarbone now, working gently there. Her breath hitched slightly and she heard him chuckle softly against her skin, she felt her cheeks heat up, knew her blush would travel down her body.

“Look at that,” she heard Dennis murmur. “I got some blush out of you.”

Casey brought her hands up to cover her face, knowing it was out of embarrassment. Dennis laughed again, though Casey couldn’t help but think it was an amazing sound. The sound of happiness from the person she cared for the most. “Hey,” his voice was soothing, his hands were pulling hers away from her face. “Look at me?”

Casey looked down at him, knowing her face was still bright red. “Are you okay?” Dennis asked gently, still hovering over her neck. Casey nodded, knowing if she tried to speak the words would come out wrong, jumbled together in the moment. 

Dennis bit his lip, she could tell that he was checking her eyes for any sign of hesitation but, at that moment, she knew there wouldn’t be any. Not then.

Dennis stayed like that, looking up at her, for only a few moments more, before kissing her jaw again. It astounded her, just how gentle he was being with her. 

He was moving down again, down below her bra line, kissing at her ribs. She knew within a few seconds, he’d be at her scars and she tried to keep her mind from running away. He was working another spot in between her ribcage. She wondered what she would look like later. Most likely like a connect the dots puzzle. 

He’d moved again, a little to the left and Casey shivered. 

He only stayed in one spot for a few moments, long enough to create a spot there - no doubt a dark mark that would be left for days - before he’d move again.

And then he was at the spot that Casey dreaded. She knew he’d stop if she asked him to, knew he’d move back up to where she was. Knew he would hold her tightly against him, whispering to her to make her feel better. But she couldn’t get her mouth to work, she could barely get her brain to work.

He was gently kissing each scar above her hips, light kisses that felt like nothing more than a feather. 

And then her brain started working again. But it was working wrong. 

_“Look at those marks, Casey-Bear,” her uncle would sneer. “No boy, no man, **no one** will ever want you. Not with those all over you.”_

Her heart was starting to thunder again.

_“I’m really saving you from heartache, sweets.”_

She closed her eyes, trying to make the thoughts, the _memories_ stop. 

_“No man is going to love you as I do. They’re all just going to hurt you.”_

Her eyes were glazing over again, she could feel the tears even behind her eyelids. Her eyes began burning. Dennis was moving along the line of them.

_“That’s all boys do, Case. They hurt girls like you. Girls who don’t like to listen. Girls who argue and back talk.”_

Her hands were trembling now, not enough to be noticed, but enough to be felt. 

_“You should be thanking me, really.” She could feel the knife cutting into her skin again, deeper than the rest. It felt like fire against her cold skin. It felt like everything bad in the world._

Her breath hitched again, though this time it was different. She knew the moment the sound reached Dennis’s ears. He was away from her skin in a second. “Casey?” he asked, looking up at her. Her entire body was trembling now. She couldn’t focus on Dennis’s face, it was blurry, and she realized it was blurry because the tears had started to fall.

Dennis was up next to her in a split second, holding her close, just like she knew he would. She couldn’t get her lungs to work how she wanted them to. Her breath was coming out in short spurts, the air not making it the entire way through her body.

“Casey,” Dennis said again, more urgency in his voice now. “Shh, you’re okay,” he whispered. 

_“Stop making noise. You’re fine. Stop whining.”_

He was holding her hands in his own. She felt her jaw shaking, her eyes were darting around the room, going from Dennis to the wall to the ceiling, she couldn’t get them to stay in one spot. “It’s okay,” Dennis murmured. “You’re okay. I’ve got you. I’ve got you. I’m done. I won’t- I’m sorry. I won’t do that again, I swear, I’m sorry,” he thought it was his fault. Her heart hurt for him. 

Casey was shaking her head, trying to convey to him that it wasn’t _his_ fault. This wasn’t his fault. None of this was. She tore her hands away from him, wrapping her arms around him. She felt his hands hesitantly wrap around her. “Casey,” he whispered again, kissing her forehead. “It’s okay. Just breathe,” he was slowing his own breathing down, making it obvious and Casey realized he was trying to get her to match his breathing. 

She tried her hardest, focusing on how his chest was moving. _In and out._ She focused on the words he was whispering. “You’ll be okay, just try to breathe, Casey,” he murmured. He kissed the top of her head.

Casey was wetting his chest with her tears, her bottom lip trembling. 

But soon her breathing was slowing down. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think of the good in her life. _Dennis_. Her mind kept bringing him to the focus. _That’s what’s good in this life._

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her voice shaking. She lifted her chin up, making eye contact with Dennis. His eyes were wet, tears on his own cheek. She felt a new wave of pain go through her at the sight of them. She shook her head, staring at him. He quickly wiped them away. “I’m okay,” he assured her. “I’m okay, as long as you are.”

Casey took another shaky breath, noting the way it burned as it made its way through her throat to her lungs. “I shouldn’t have done that,” Dennis whispered. “I should have asked. I’m sorry, Casey.”

Casey shook her head. “I thought I was okay,” she whimpered, closing her eyes for a moment. “I thought I was okay,” she repeated as she opened them again. “I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t stop them.”

“Them?” Dennis questioned, voice thick with his tears, though he was obviously trying to cover it up. “Who?”

Casey swallowed thickly. “Memories,” she whispered. Quickly his face changed, no longer worried, now guilty. She thought she was talking about _him_. She thought the awful memories that terrified her were of _him_.

She began shaking her head. “No,” she whispered. “They weren’t about you, I swear,” he didn’t seem entirely convinced. All he wanted was for her to be safe. “It was- it was the scars,” she murmured. “They just… I just… I remembered when…” she couldn’t get the remaining words out. _When **he** gave them to me._

Dennis understood she could tell by the look on his face. He sighed, bringing a hand up and threading it through her hair. “Oh,” he whispered. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. I’ve got you.”

Casey nodded. She knew she was safe here. She felt safe here. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her. He couldn’t.

She closed her eyes, burying her face in his chest, breathing in deeply. Breathing in _him_.

“I love you,” she whispered against his chest.

She could feel Dennis let out a breath, the type of breath he let out when he smiled. It made her smile, a _real_ smile. “As I love you,” he whispered. 

They stayed like that for what felt like both _forever_ and no time at all.

Casey pulled away first, looking at Dennis’s face. She knew she must look a mess, must have tear stains down her cheeks, but Dennis was looking at her in a way that only conveyed _love_. 

“Are you hungry?” Dennis asked softly, toying with her hair again.

Casey’s eyes grew wide. “Don’t leave,” she said quickly before she could even think about her words.

Dennis smiled slightly, only one side of his lips twisting upwards. “I thought… I thought maybe I would make you dinner,” he murmured. “I can’t really make much, but… I know how to make alfredo?”

Casey could have cried again, simply at that sentiment. She nodded slowly, though she made no move to get up, she didn’t want to stop holding on to him, didn’t want distance again. 

But Dennis did move, gently extracting himself from her. She watched him stand from the bed, watched him pull a shirt - a new one - over his head, before getting another one from his closet. Casey had a thought, that maybe he was putting her in his clothes on _purpose_. He knew she had clothes in her bag, but he still gave her one of his shirts. 

He helped her put it on and she noticed his eyes lingered on her neck for a few moments longer than normal. _I wonder how bad they are_ , they thought to herself, her hand going up as if she could feel the marks on her skin.

Dennis smiled slightly, almost apologetically, helping her from the bed. He took her hand and led her towards the kitchen, pulling a seat out for her and letting her sit. He kissed her knuckles gently before taking his hand away again, going to the cabinets and pulling out ingredients. 

Casey liked watching him as he cooked. It was something she’d never gotten to witness. When the others cooked, they sang or murmured to themselves. But when Dennis was cooking, she watched his eyebrow pull together in concentration. Watched him measure out all the ingredients carefully, starting over when they weren’t correct. He made his sauce from scratch, not reading off a recipe and Casey wondered how he’d memorized it. 

Every so often, Dennis would turn to look at her, giving her a small smile. She wondered if it was his way of reminding her that he was still there for her or if he was reminding himself that she was still there. 

When Dennis was happy with everything, he mixed the sauce and the noodles together still focused intensely. He put two identical servings on a couple of plates, setting one down in front of Casey and one in front of the chair across from her. He went to the cupboard and grabbed two cups, filling each of them with water, giving one to Casey and sitting down with the other. 

He sat down across from her, waiting until she had started eating to eat his own. Despite never seeing him really use his left hand, she watched him begin to eat with it. He reached out with his right hand, taking her left and holding tightly as they ate. 

Unsurprisingly, the food was absolutely amazing and Casey ate every last bit of it. Dennis never once let go of her hand, though she noticed it seemed to take him a little longer than she would have expected to eat his own food.

When they were finished, Dennis took their plates and went to the sink to clean them. Casey got up and grabbed a dry dishrag, smiling when Dennis looked over at her. He picked up on what she was doing pretty quickly, handing her the dishes as he washed them, allowing her to dry them thoroughly. After they’d both finished, he grabbed the cleaned dishes and put them all away. Casey thought she heard him humming to himself as he did so. 

Dennis took her hand again and led her back to the bedroom. She couldn’t help but look down at their hands, intertwined together as they walked. 

He helped her back into the bed and she watched him take his shirt off again. She looked up at him confused, but he shrugged. “I like sleeping without a shirt on,” he admitted, she noticed that his cheeks had a slight tinge of red on them, though Casey chose not to comment on it. 

Dennis got into the bed beside her, pulling her close to him. She laid on her side, looking up at him for a few seconds and he stared back at her, kissing her forehead gently.

Casey smiled, nuzzling against his cheek for a moment. She began tracing the outlines of drawings on his chest, watching the way her finger moved over the skin there. 

Casey was beginning to nod off, struggling to keep her eyes open. Now she knew for certain that Dennis was humming. Humming what sounded like a lullaby.

Casey liked the sound, focusing on making the drawings go along with how the song was moving through the air. It didn’t take long, but she began to nod off until her hand fell flat against his chest, eyes closing, and she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I truly hope you liked that one, I think it's one of my favorites that I've written. It's also one of the longest, though it isn't as long as some of these fics are... maybe that'll change eventually.
> 
> Like or comment or something.
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com


	23. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And how did he get someone like Casey? How did this girl, this girl that he put through so much, how was she able to find it in her to love _him_? But Dennis didn’t want to think about that. Didn’t want to think that he didn’t deserve this. He _wanted_ to deserve it. He wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything in the entire time he’d been here. He almost hated the fact that he wanted this more than he wanted Kevin’s safety. It scared him that he wanted this more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, another longer chapter. Crazy
> 
> Hope you enjoy this one, have fun seeing things from Dennis's POV again.

Dennis would never get used to the peaceful look that came over Casey’s face while she was sleeping. When she was awake, she was constantly on the watch for something to happen. Dennis could tell when she was on edge, she’d jump at any small noise or she’d zone off staring at nothing. It was the latter that worried him the most. It seemed like she wasn’t even there anymore like she was just a shell of herself until she came back to reality. 

He couldn’t help but stare down at her as she slept. She’d been looking down at his chest before falling asleep, doodling on his skin with her fingertips, but when she’d finally slipped into unconsciousness, her head had dropped back slightly, upturned towards him. Her eyes moved slightly beneath her eyelids, her lips barely parted. 

Dennis smiled down at her, one hand rubbing lightly up and down her arm. She moved slightly in her sleep, burrowing her face into his neck. 

His mind, for the first time in what seemed like ages, he felt like he deserved this. Deserved _her_. It wasn’t something he’d ever imagined for himself. He never thought that one day he’d be able to hold someone close to him, someone, who cared for him as much as he cared for her. He couldn’t fathom the fact that someone _could_ care for him as much as she did. He never thought he’d be able to tell someone _I love you_ and be able to hear it back from them.

And how did he get someone like Casey? How did this girl, this girl that he put through so much, how was she able to find it in her to love _him_? But Dennis didn’t want to think about that. Didn’t want to think that he didn’t deserve this. He _wanted_ to deserve it. He wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything in the entire time he’d been here. He almost hated the fact that he wanted this more than he wanted Kevin’s safety. It scared him that he wanted this more. 

He took a deep breath, shaking his head to clear it of his thoughts. He didn’t need to start worrying about this again. The more he worried about it, the more likely he was to lock up again. And he wouldn’t do that again. He couldn’t put Casey through that again.

Despite the fact that he’d locked everyone else out of his mind, he’d still been able to see what they were seeing. He was able to see what the Beast saw, he saw how scared she’d been. He watched her try to use his name to bring him back and he’d tried. He tried so _hard_ to come back. There was a moment, near the end, when the Beast and Patricia had managed to block him out. He couldn’t see Casey anymore.

And it had terrified him more than anything. He’d been so afraid that she was going to die and it would be _his_ fault. He’d broken down in their mind, he didn’t even realize that Kevin had come out at the end. He only knew she was okay when Kevin pushed him back into the light and retreated back to his spot. 

The moment he’d seen her, he was filled with so many different emotions. The was the obvious ones, the feeling of relief at seeing her, the feeling of fear, of grief, of guilt. But the most overwhelming emotion was that of love. And he was so unused to that feeling that at first, he hadn’t even realized what that feeling was.

He didn’t know what to do at that moment. He wanted to stay there, to stay with her, but he was so scared. He was scared that he was going to hurt her. So he backed away, he watched her face, watched how sad she was, and he forced himself to walk down the hallway. He’d allowed himself one last look back, allowed himself to whisper a soft, “ _I’m sorry_ ,” before shutting the door behind him. 

...

_Dennis had been pacing back and forth for the last few hours. It was torture. He wanted so badly to go out to the living room again, to try and comfort Casey. He’d heard her crying earlier, but it seemed quiet now like she’d fallen asleep. Or like she couldn’t feel anything anymore. Like she was numb. He also bet it was the latter._

_He was angry, with himself, with Patricia. He’d made the bed twice, fixed the pillowcases, made sure everything was put in its proper place, dusted and cleaned every inch of the room._

_His hands were shaking, he hadn’t realized the anger was bubbling up again until his hand was connecting with the wall of his bedroom. He knew it was loud. He knew Casey could probably hear it._

_The wall didn’t break, it didn’t splinter, you wouldn’t have even been able to tell he had hit it. And then his arm was moving again. His fist was connecting with the wall again. And again it didn’t leave a mark._

_He stared at the wall. He stared where he knew that he’d just made contact with it. His hand was sore and he pulled it up to his view, looking at it closely. His knuckles were red, but they weren’t that bad. They could have been worse. He’d had worse before. He couldn’t help but wonder, **what if I hit the wall again? Just once more.**_

_And then he did. This time, it hurt. He pulled his hand back quickly, holding it to his chest. The wall had a small mark now. The size of his hand. It hadn’t broken through, but he could see it there. **Casey’s going to see that** , the thought entered his mind suddenly. _

_He looked around the room, seeing one of Hedwig’s pictures tacked to the wall. He walked over and gently pulled it off the wall, moving it to cover the mark he’d made._

_And then the knock came at the door._

_It startled him, breaking him out of his mind. He turned slowly, looking at the closed door like it had personally hurt him. He fell back into the silence._

_And then he heard her voice. So quiet he could have convinced himself it was just in his head. “Dennis?”_

_He moved closer to the door, barely able to think of anything but the fact that she was there. She was just beyond the door. “Dennis?” she asked again. “Are you okay?”_

_If it had been one of the alters that had asked him, he may have laughed, but it wasn’t. It was Casey. He let his head fall against the door, closing his eyes to stop the tears that threatened to fall. “ **Casey**.”_

_He heard her let out a breath, heard her press against the door. She wouldn’t know he was doing the same thing, just on the other side. He brought a hand up to press against the cold wood._

_But she shouldn’t be there. He wanted her to come inside, but he was still scared. He wondered if he’d ever not be scared. “You should go,” he whispered, his voice cracking at the end. It hurt him to say those words out loud._

_“Dennis, please,” Casey's voice pleaded on the other side. “Let me in,” **I want to** , “We can talk about this.”_

_Dennis took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to try and calm himself. “I can’t,” he mumbled, swallowing thickly. “You shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t be near me, okay?” **Please don’t leave**. “I’m going to end up hurting you and…” he broke his voice off, squeezing his eyes shut to stop the tears that had started falling. He didn’t want her to know he was crying. _

_But she was still there. “Please,” she whispered again. “Please, Dennis.”_

_He couldn’t stop the sob that broke past his lips, shaking his head at himself. **Pathetic**. “Casey,” he murmured, pleaded. “Go away,” those words made his heart twist. “I have to be alone. I don’t want you to be here right now,” he knew he was lying, he wished she knew that too. _

_Dennis heard her move backward. It sounded like she’d stumbled. “No,” she whispered, her voice sounding broken to him. “Please Dennis, I-”_

_He cut her off before she said the words. He knew what they’d be. “Don’t,” he couldn’t stop the way his voice broke at the end of the word._

_He heard her take a deep breath, but he didn’t say anything else. He didn’t know what else to say. The only thoughts in his mind were a revolving door of, **I love you.**_

_Dennis listened as she walked away from the door. Listened as her footsteps moved farther and farther away from him. He listened, waiting to hear the sound of the keys jangling. To hear the sound of her unlocking the door. To hear the sound of her leaving._

_But he didn’t hear that._

_He choked on his breath, stumbling backward. He continued back until his back hit a wall and he slid down it, staring at the door._

…

Dennis came back to reality, taking a deep breath to try and forget the memories he’d just been trapped in. He focused on the girl sleeping next to him. Her hand was a small fist on his chest. Her hair was cascading all over the pillow. 

His eyes glanced down, seeing the necklace she was wearing. He remembered the joy, the happiness, he’d felt when she’d put it on. The worry he’d felt when she’d first opened it. The pain he’d felt when she’d read his letter and began to tear up. And then she’d grabbed the necklace and held on.

He should have been there for her. Not Barry, not Hedwig, _him_. But he’d let himself get too caught up in the moment. 

…

_Dennis let Barry take the light. It wasn’t fair to the rest of them to have himself in the light while he was just locked in his room._

_He saw Casey jump when she heard the door open, saw the look of hope on her face. Saw her face fall when she realized it was Barry and not him._

_“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Barry apologized. Dennis tried to block everything out again._

_…_

_They were still talking. Dennis heard Barry ask, “What’s got you so worried,” and he couldn’t help but listen in._

_He watched Casey look at her hands, heard her question, “Is he upset with me?” and he wanted to come out and tell her **no, no he could never be upset with her** , but he let Barry stay instead. _

_He was thankful when he felt the confusion come off Barry. “Why would he be upset with you?” he’d asked her._

_Dennis listened closely, wanting to know the answer himself. He knew he hadn’t made it any better when he’d told her to go away. “It’s my fault,” she’d answered Barry. “This is all my fault.”_

_He couldn’t listen anymore. He couldn’t hear her blame herself, so he let Barry talk instead._

_Dennis was doing well, staying in his head, when heard Barry clear his throat. “I think he may love you.”_

_Dennis almost broke into the light. He just wanted to be with her again. He watched her lift her fingers to her lips and wondered if she’d actually been awake the night before. But he knew she hadn’t been._

_He watched Barry pull her into their lap and wanted to be there instead. Wanted to be the one holding on to her._

_He felt Barry stand, Casey still in his arms, carrying her back to the bedroom. He watched as she grabbed clothes from her bag, saw the distressed look in her eyes and mumbled from his own mind, “Get her some of ours.”_

_Barry listened, wandering into the closet and grabbing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. He watched as Barry hovered in front of his own shirts, ironed earlier on, and grabbed one of them, reaching to a shelf and grabbing his cologne and spraying a light dusting of it over the shirt. Dennis would have smiled._

_Dennis saw the moment Casey’s eyes landed on his shirt, saw the way they grew glassy. Barry turned while she changed into the pajamas, only turning back when she was done, helping her into Dennis’s shirt. He could tell when the smell hit her, she looked like she felt safe for a split second._

_As Barry shut the door behind him, he whispered a small, “ **Thank you** ,” to try and show his gratitude._

…

Casey moved slightly. Her chin was lifted in the air more, exposing the soft skin of her neck. Dennis could see a few light marks there. He raised his hand from her arm, gently tracing over the mark. He knew it would darken with time. When his finger came in contact with her skin, he felt Casey shiver slightly.

She truly was incredible. Dennis knew that. She was so amazing and wonderful. She cared so strongly and loved just as much. He pressed his lips to her forehead.

_Beautiful._

The word popped into his head. She truly was beautiful. She wasn’t pretty, or hot, or any of the words that teenage boys used to describe girls now. No, she was _beautiful_. 

“How did I get so lucky?” Dennis asked quietly, knowing she was too far gone to truly hear him, but he’d like to think that the hint of a smile on her lips was from him.

…

_Dennis never did like watching cartoons. But Hedwig was constantly wanting to turn them on. He knew Casey would watch them with the boy, she was used to that from her foster home._

_They’d talked about her siblings and Dennis found it sweet how compassionately she spoke of those kids. He wondered how much it was killing her to not see them anymore._

_The bright colors of the screen gave Dennis a headache and he was about to retreat again when Hedwig looked over at Casey, so quickly Dennis felt the whiplash that came from it._

_“Can I hold your hand?” the boy had asked suddenly and Dennis could hear him thinking, but the thoughts were so jumbled that he couldn’t pick out a single idea that he was having._

_Casey laughed, her voice like bells, it was a sound that Dennis wished he could bottle up to listen to forever. “Okay,” she’d agreed, reaching over and taking his hand in her own._

_The second his own hand enveloped hers, he felt himself being pulled into the light. And, if he listened closely, he could hear the sound of Hedwig laughing triumphantly. It had been his plan. He knew it would work._

_He was a lot smarter than they gave him credit for._

_Dennis tightened his hand around her own, so amazed to be touching her again. She looked up at him, her eyes taking in the way his face had changed upon the change of the light._

_“ **Casey** …”_

…

He realized he’d never thanked Hedwig for bringing him back to the light, but he knew he’d have to eventually.

Dennis looked around the room, seeing where he’d covered up the mark in the wall with Hedwig’s drawing. 

He brought his eyes back to Casey, moving her hair out of her face with his fingers. He saw the way her skin flushed with the soft contact. Dennis smiled. He’d never grow old of that sight. The way the pink would travel over her entire body.

He wondered how many marks he’d actually left on her body. He hadn’t been paying too much attention, too caught up in the moment. He knew they’d be spattered over her body. Down her neck, over her collarbones. He couldn’t help but feel slightly proud of himself. 

He tried to shut his mind off, knowing he should get some sleep. He pulled Casey closer to his chest, reveling in the way she curled against him.

Dennis kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes and letting himself fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked that, I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Love you all.
> 
> Like or comment or something
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com


	24. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “You lied,” she whispered, putting the pieces together. “You lied. They do know where we are,” she shook her head. “We’re in the together, Dennis. You can’t always be alone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whiplash.
> 
> Y'all are gonna be mad at me...
> 
> There are only a few more chapters until the end, sweets.
> 
> I'm so sorry.
> 
> Also, this would have been up sooner but I got a migraine midway through and needed to take a break...

When Casey woke up the next morning, she felt the most rested than she’d felt in a while. She blinked slowly, limbs tangled up with Dennis’s. He was still fast asleep, face relaxed and peaceful. Casey was so used to looking concerned, wearing his emotions almost entirely obvious on his face. Casey smiled up at him, kissing his cheek.

She got no reaction from the sleeping man, confirming just how asleep he truly was. She wondered when he’d last gotten a full night’s rest as well.

Casey gently extracted herself from him, careful to make sure not to wake him, watching him with every small movement she made.

She wandered over to her bag of clothes, quietly pulling out a pair of jeans and a nice shirt. She knew she wouldn’t be going anywhere today, but sometimes it didn’t hurt to dress nicely. 

Casey took one last look at Dennis, smiling at his still sleeping figure, noting that one hand was reaching out to where Casey had just been. It was sweet and Casey felt the telling _buh-bump_ of her heartbeat at the sight.

She opened the door slowly, wincing when it made a soft _creak_ noise. She glanced back, glad when she saw that Dennis’s eyes were still closed. 

She slipped out the open doorway, making sure not to shut the door the whole way, just in case Dennis woke up while she was gone. 

Casey made it a few steps down the hallway, opening the bathroom door and walking in, shutting it behind her. She also left this door open slightly, just so Dennis would know for certain that it was where she as. As she did it, she couldn’t help but be amazed at herself. A year ago, she would have made sure her bathroom door was shut tightly, the lock perfectly in place. She realized at that moment, just how much she had grown.

She reached into the shower, turning it on to the hottest setting she could, a habit she knew she’d never break. She stripped out of her clothes, unconsciously folding them before sitting them gently in the laundry basket. When she realized what she’d done, she shook her head and with a laugh, murmured, “Dennis,” under her breath. 

Casey took a moment to look at herself in the mirror, to reflect. Her hair was a little greasy, but she knew that was just because she had thin hair, to begin with. There was a soft flush on her cheeks, something that wasn’t normally there. There were marks spattering her body at random spots. There were four on her neck, two on each side of her trachea, even at the moment he had to have it the same on both sides. The marks on her torso were more random, though if you drew a mark down the middle of her body, you’d be able to count four on each side. She hadn’t even realized that Dennis had made so many. 

There was one on each of her collarbones, so dark it made her scars look like nothing. It was crazy to her and she wondered if her lower body would seem the same to her if she’d let him go farther. But she knew in her heart that she wasn’t prepared for that. It was hard enough for her to even let him see her scars, let alone make his own marks around them. 

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, rubbing her hand over her face. She realized she’d picked up a few of Dennis’s nervous ticks. 

Casey turned away from the mirror, happy to see a few towels above the toilet on a small shelf, glad that she didn’t need to look for them. 

She opened the curtain, a blackout one, immediately getting hit by a wave of heat. She stepped into the water, welcoming the way it heated her skin up, knowing she’d look like a tourist that didn’t know how to handle a sunny place.

She let herself become adjusted to the heat for a few, letting the water run over her. She’d never grow old of a hot shower, so used to her uncle shutting off the water heater before she’d get one, just soon enough that she’d get a taste of that warm water and then it would be ripped away from her. She’d just let herself get used to having freezing cold showers. 

She glanced around the shower, seeing that someone had bought some high-end shampoo and conditioner, she assumed with must have been Jade or maybe even Barry. Whoever did made it a lot easier for her, though. 

She started with getting her hair wet, lathering up some shampoo and coating her hair with it, focusing on the way the strands moved through her fingers. Once she was sure it was properly lathered up, leaning back and letting the water rinse it out again. She did the same with the conditioner but turned away to let it soak in, choosing to wash her body while it did so, along with shave with one of the razors still in their package on the side of the tub. 

When she washed the conditioner out, she relished in the way her hair slid through her fingers. She shut off the water, standing for a few moments before getting out of the shower and wring her hair out. She grabbed a towel, drying her body enough that she could comfortably slip into her clothes. Once she was dressed, she used her towel to lightly dry her hair until it was just damp, letting it fall on her shoulders. 

She looked at herself in the mirror, combing through the wet strands of her hair with her fingers. One good thing about how thin her hair was was that it dried fairly quickly, so it wasn’t soaking through her shirt. 

She opened the bathroom door, hearing sounds of the news coming from the living room. She wandered down the hallway, seeing Dennis sitting on the couch. His shoulders were lifted like they always were, but they were less rigid than normal. His arms were crossed still. 

Casey walked up behind him, stopping behind the couch. She leaned down, wrapping her arms around him and leaning her chin on top of his head. She felt his hand come up and lay lightly on her forearm. 

“How was your shower?” he asked gently, looking up at her. 

She shrugged, pulling her arms back and moving around the couch, sitting down next to him. She noticed that he shifted his stance, moving a little closer to her, turning his body just slightly. “It was nice,” she told him. “Warm.”

Dennis nodded, laying a hand down on her thigh. “Have they said anything on the news?” she asked quietly, looking over his face for any signs of distress. 

Dennis shrugged his shoulders, pressing the mute button on the remote. “Just the same as always,” he said, voice sounding bored. “To watch out for the wanted fugitives Casey Cooke and Kevin Crumb,” he rolled his eyes, running a hand over his head. “They don’t seem to have any real traces or even an idea about where we are. The scanner confirms that. I listened in while you were showering, they think we’ve skipped town entirely.”

Casey nodded, taking a deep breath. “That’s good,” she murmured. There was something about the way Dennis was talking, the way he was holding himself, that made Casey think something was wrong, but she couldn’t pick up on what it was. 

“Is everything okay, Dennis?” Casey asked after a few moments, unable to keep her worries under wraps. 

Dennis took his hand away from her thigh, sighing slightly. “I don’t want you to get hurt,” he said simply. “And, I’m afraid, that by being with us, by being _near_ us, you’re going to get hurt,” Casey was shaking her head. 

Casey felt her heart jump to her throat, she’d seen how Dennis reacted when he was upset, and she didn’t want him to push her away. “I’m not going to get hurt,” she whispered.

Dennis closed his eyes. “You don’t know that,” he muttered. “Anything could happen. _Anything_. Someone could see you or me and they’ll call the police. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you. Okay? I would never forgive myself if you got put in jail for knowing where I was and…” he trailed off, moving to stand up. 

Casey’s hearts was hammering in her chest, she was barely able to hear the next words out of Dennis’s mouth. “I don’t think you should stay here anymore.”

Casey stood up, shaking her head like a mad man. “No,” she whispered. “No, no, no. Dennis, please,” she reached out to him, watching as he moved away from her touch. “Don’t make me go. Please.”

When Dennis looked her in the eye, she wished to see anything there besides what she was met with. There was the love that she always felt but there was also commitment. He wouldn’t care if it hurt _him_ as long as he believed it would save _her_. He was committed to making her leave.

She knew there was no use arguing with him, but she had to try. “You can’t make me leave,” she whispered. “You can’t. I live here. Please, Dennis, we can get through this. Everything will be okay.”

“Nothing is okay!” Casey’s body snapped straight as a pole as the sound of Dennis’s raised voice. “Okay? Nothing is. You shouldn’t even be here.”

Casey caught him glancing at the television and brought her eyes there, reading the subtitles quickly. 

_Police are closing in on the area they believe the fugitives Kevin Crumb and Casey Cooke to be hiding out, thanks to a tip from a homeowner-_

“You lied,” she whispered, putting the pieces together. “You lied. They do know where we are,” she shook her head. “We’re in the together, Dennis. You can’t always be alone.”

Dennis’s jaw clenched. She hoped her words would make him think this through more. But the more she thought about it, the less likely it seemed. He must have realized while she was in the shower that they were getting close. Everything had seemed to incredible last night, but it no longer mattered. Because he thought she’d get hurt and he wouldn’t let that happen. 

“I want to be alone,” Dennis whispered, not looking at her as she looked back at him. “I don’t want you here anymore,” his voice had gone flat. 

Casey’s eyes were filling up with tears and she continued to shake her head. “Please,” she tried again. “I love you.”

Dennis’s eyes met her and they no longer held anything, they were empty. “ _I don’t love you_ ,” he mumbled, though Casey watched the way his throat worked as he swallowed thickly.

Casey knew he was lying, but those words cut her deep. She stumbled back slightly. “Dennis,” she whispered, just once more.

But Dennis wasn’t looking at her anymore, instead, his gaze was at the coffee table, where, she hadn’t noticed before, her bag was sitting, put together. “You need to go,” he whispered, and Casey heard his voice break. 

She didn’t know what to do. It felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest and it _hurt_. Was this what Kevin meant? Maybe he didn’t mean physical pain, maybe he meant emotion.

Casey grabbed her bag, tears falling from her eyes. “The door is unlocked,” Dennis murmured under his breath and Casey could hear the tears in his voice, he wasn’t looking up at her anymore. 

She waited a few seconds more, hoping Dennis would look up and change his mind, tell her to stay and to never leave. They could go back to how they’d been the night before. Everything would be okay.

But Dennis kept his gaze on the carpet, eyebrows knit together, arms crossed tightly over his chest.

Casey swallowed back her tears, turning from him and beginning to walk up the stairs. She waited until the front door was shut behind her before letting herself cry.

...

Dennis watched her walk away, heard the front door shut. He was able to stay standing only a few more moments.

In the end, he collapsed to the ground, fists hitting the carpet repeatedly. “Dammit!” he was shouting to himself, letting his own tears fall down his face. “Dammit.”

His heart felt like it was breaking into a million different pieces. He’d never felt loss like this. He’d never felt anything like this. 

Everything hurt. 

He realized what he needed to do, forcing himself to stand up. He hoped he wasn’t too late as he ran and grabbed his keys, throwing a few things into a bag, clothes, Casey’s presents, Hedwig’s drawings, and what-not. He ran up the stairs, pulling his phone out and pressing the _**Track**_ button, hoping Casey hadn’t ditched her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> I'm very sorry.
> 
> Like or comment
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com


	25. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She set it down on the bedside table, catching a glimpse of her necklace in the reflection. Her hand instinctively went up to it. Part of her wanted to rip it off her neck, wanted to do to it what her uncle did to all those pieces of jewelry throughout her childhood. Wanted to scream and curse at it while she watched a fire destroy it.
> 
> But she knew she’d never do that. Instead, she held tightly to it, sitting down on her bed again. She held tight to it and laid over on top of the blankets and allowed herself to close her eyes. She tried not to think of anything. Tried not to think of those blue eyes staring down at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy St. Paddy's Day!!  
> Here's a present for you all, the next chapter. It ended up being longer than I thought it would be, so I guess that's payback for the brief hiatus I went on.  
> For those of you who follow me on Tumblr, you'll know I was on vacation and didn't really have time to write, so I hope you'll forgive me. 
> 
> Enjoy, my darlings. The end is near.

Casey’s mind could only comprehend two different things as she began walking.

One: It felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest. Not only that, but that it had been ripped out, torn to bits, and then tossed into a blender for good measure. She no longer could feel her heart beating in her chest, it seemed like a void there. Like anyone could look at her and see a hole in her chest where her heart was supposed to be beating.

Two: It was incredibly cold. The more she walked, the colder she became. It hadn’t crossed her mind earlier to put on socks or shoes and within ten minutes, her feet began to really _hurt_. It had first been an obnoxious feeling, something she’d known as a child when she’d accidentally locked herself out of the house. She’d stopped at a bus stop, rooting through her bag for a pair of socks. She noticed that Dennis had put her shoes in the bag, but she ignored them, only pulling on the socks. 

She thought maybe she should just sit here, wait for a bus to come. She could ride it to whatever its furthest destination was. She had the money. The week leading up to her birthday, she’d emptied out her bank accounts. Her uncle had had legal rights to the one left to her by her father, but as soon as he’d been put in jail, she was allowed to touch it whenever she wanted. 

Her wallet was in her bag and she pulled it out, opening it cautiously and counting through. She had a few hundred in there. She knew that she also had different stashes in her bag, knew if someone decided to take her bag, she’d be out of all that money she’d saved. 

The bench she was on was cold. The icy feeling was seeping through her clothes as a bus pulled up. Somewhere in the distance, she heard police sirens wail. The driver looked out at her as he opened the doors. “Getting on?” he called, she noted that the bus was empty, everyone was with their families. 

She stared at him, his eyes were blue. Was she going to get on? She didn’t know. She couldn’t get her legs to work for her. “You okay, kid?” the man asked, bushy, grey eyebrows knitting together. “You don’t have shoes on.”

A police car drove past her, sirens on. She wondered where they were going. “Kid?” the man tried again, his eyes becoming increasingly more concerned. “You in trouble?”

Casey finally got her voice to work, but it sounded distant. “I’m fine,” she told him. “Just taking a moment. I broke my shoes.”

He didn’t seem like he believed her. “Do you need a ride somewhere?” he questioned. “Or can I call someone for you?”

Casey wondered if he recognized her. If he’d seen her face on the news. If he knew that she was wanted by the police for questioning, or if he was blissfully unaware of the horror that went on in other people’s lives. “I’m walking,” she told him. “I’m meeting with someone. I just needed a break,” she tried to make her voice sound convincing. 

The man sighed, those blue eyes still staring at her. “Okay, kid,” he murmured. “You stay safe out here, then, okay?” Casey nodded in agreement, watching as he shut the doors and drove off again. 

It seemed like everyone had decided to stay inside for the cold day. She didn’t see anyone else walking around the town. She barely saw any cars driving. People’s curtains were drawn tight. 

She heard a car drive by on the street behind her and she turned to look at it, her heart jumping at the sight of the dark paint, but it disappeared with the car around the next corner. 

It was cloudy, dark clouds that threatened a storm. She couldn’t tell where the sun was. Her phone was a heavy block in her pocket. She wondered if her jacket was packed away in her duffle. When she’d first left, she’d been crying so hard that it seemed to warm her, or it made her so cold that the icy chill in the air hadn’t bothered her. But now, that chill was threatening to become too much. 

She forced herself to stand up again, moving one step at a time. Each step was easier than the last. She was able to make everything fade to the background. The noises of the city became quiet, her eyes were forward. She barely heard a car slam on its brakes, horn blaring at her. 

She blinked, turning her head. She hadn’t realized she’d been walking down the middle of the road. The man behind the wheel was yelling something at her, but upon seeing her face, he quickly pulled his phone out and climbed out of the car. “You’re Casey Cooke,” he said quickly. “Stay there. I’m calling the police.”

It took less than a second for a thought to formulate in her mind. She wasn’t going to just stand here and let them take her. 

Casey’s feet were moving before she could process it. The man was still yelling after her, but soon his voice became nothing more than the sound of the wind blowing past her ears. She laughed in spite of herself, a peal of chaotic laughter that sounded wrong to her ears. 

She didn’t know how long she had been running for, but her legs gave out beneath her outside of a small, dingy motel. “Must be a sign,” she muttered to herself. She let herself have a moment on the frozen ground, before pushing herself back up. 

The office smelled like cigarette smoke. There was an old lady behind the desk. She barely looked up at her. “You need a room?” her voice was fitting. 

“Yes,” Casey answered, hoping the lady wouldn’t look up and recognize her. 

The woman pulled out a book. “One bed or two?” she questioned, Casey noticed a still lit cigarette in an ashtray on the desk. 

“One,” Casey murmured, twisting her fingers together in front of her. 

She got a nod in response. “Name?” 

Casey froze for a moment, trying to think. She knew she couldn’t give her own name. “Jade,” she said quickly. “Um, Jade Crumb,” it was easy to choose that name. 

Another nod, the name being written down next to a room number. “How many nights?” she asked. “You pay upfront. Has to be cash, our card machine is down. If you stay more, you have to tell us beforehand. Thirty dollars a night.”

Casey thought to herself. “Five nights,” she told the woman. Five seemed like a good start. She pulled out her wallet, handing the money to the woman’s now outstretched hand. Her nails were long, pointed and curved, painted an alarming shade of vibrant yellow. 

A key was handed to her in exchange. “Room eight.”

Casey took the key quickly, muttering a small thanks before walking back out into the cold. She looked at the numbers on the door, counting them to herself as she came to her own room. The number eight was starting to fall off. The paint on the door was chipping away from the weather. She had to jiggle to key a few times to get it to turn.

The room was small. The lights were off and she flipped a switch, noting that two of the four lights in the room were burnt out. She sighed, shutting the door behind her and placing her duffle bag in a small wooden chair next to the door. In the middle of one wall was what was to be her bed. It was a small twin bed, a grey comforter topped with a yellow quilt. It looked like it had been left there and the staff just decided to use it. There were two small pillows, both with light blue pillowcases. 

The walls were covered in wallpaper, brown and yellow hues covering it, decorated in dull flowers. At the top of some of the walls, the paper had begun peeling away from the wall. She sat at the edge of the bed, staring at her reflection in the blank screen of the small television across from her bed. It looked like it had been there since the eighties and she wasn’t entirely sure that wasn’t the case. 

She finally let herself feel the cold. She’d nearly lost feeling in her feet, along with her hands. She reached down, pulling the socks off. Her feet were red. She stood again, wiping a tear that fell down her cheek. 

Casey pulled off the rest of her clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor. She wandered to the bathroom, opening the door. Despite the dinginess of the rest of the room, the bathroom was surprisingly well kept. The sink was clean, the shower was clean, the mirror was spotless. She turned the shower on hot, letting it warm for a few moments before climbing in.

It was there that Casey let herself fully begin to cry.

…

Dennis watched her walked to a motel door. She worked with the keyhole for a second before she got it open. She stood in the doorway for a few moments, giving Dennis time to look into the room. He saw the small bed.

As she shut the door, he realized she’d never put on shoes. It broke his heart as he drove away.

…

The rest of that first day seemed to drag on for Casey. The shower, despite feeling like it had taken hours, had barely lasted thirty minutes by the time she got out. 

She sat on the bed, wrapped in her towel, continuing to stare at her reflection. Her eyes seemed vacant and blank. It didn’t seem like she was even there anymore.

She stood up and grabbed her bag, pulling out a pair of pajamas and putting them on.

She looked down at her clothes, where she’d left them on the ground, and reached for her phone amidst them. She pressed the home button but found nothing. No messages. No calls. _Nothing_.

She set it down on the bedside table, catching a glimpse of her necklace in the reflection. Her hand instinctively went up to it. Part of her wanted to rip it off her neck, wanted to do to it what her uncle did to all those pieces of jewelry throughout her childhood. Wanted to scream and curse at it while she watched a fire destroy it.

But she knew she’d never do that. Instead, she held tightly to it, sitting down on her bed again. She held tight to it and laid over on top of the blankets and allowed herself to close her eyes. She tried not to think of anything. Tried not to think of those blue eyes staring down at her. 

But they stayed stuck behind her eyelids as she tried to fall asleep.

…

When she woke up from a brief stint of sleep the next morning, she was disoriented. The bed was wrong. The room was wrong. _Everything was wrong._

The memories came flooding back without her permission. 

She felt numb, like nothing else could hurt her as she sat up in bed. 

Outside, she heard police sirens. She wondered if they’d come for her. If the lady at the front desk really had recognized her. But the sirens wailed on, growing quiet as they drove past the motel. 

Casey reached for her phone, hoping for some sign that anyone cared about her, but still there was nothing on the screen. 

She set it back down and stood up, walking to the window. She peeked out of the curtains, looking at the nearly empty parking lot. At the far end, barely visible, she saw a dark car. She felt some kind of hope build up in her chest, but she pushed it down and away. She wasn’t going to hope anymore.

She closed the curtains again and walked away from the window. She walked to the television and turned it on, finding it tuned to the local news station.

There was a new exhibit at the zoo, she couldn’t find it in herself to care about it. 

The story switched and she found her own face staring back at her. She saw her foster siblings smiling faces with hers. 

“ _A young girl, kidnapped from an abusive uncle endured a horrible act of violence against two fellow students,_ ” the reporter was saying. “ _She barely escaped death and has now found herself back with her abductor.”_

The scene switched, suddenly she saw Janice on screen, the kids standing next to her as she was being interviewed in front of the house. _“We just want Casey back. Maybe she wasn’t happy here and that’s why she left. But we just want to know that she’s safe. She didn’t have to do this. I only have that thought in my mind that maybe he was forcing her to do this.”_

_“So you think Casey is in this against her will?”_ The reporter questioned. 

Janice nodded. _“It’s the only explanation I can think of. Or maybe she believed he was the reason she got away from her uncle. I don’t know. I just know she can’t be safe.”_

Casey looked at the kids’ faces, wanting to block out what Janice was saying. The oldest was glaring at the cameras. Casey watched as he mouthed something to the camera. No one mentioned it, no one would be looking at the kids. They’d be so focused on what Janice was saying. She was telling the reporter how much she cared for Casey.

But Casey was trying to figure out what Seth was mouthing to the camera. It was the fourth time she saw him open his mouth that she deciphered what it was. 

_Run, Casey._

He was warning her. There must be more behind what Janice was saying, more behind what the news was reporting. 

The scene changed again, back to the formal setting of the news. 

_“There was an alleged sighting of Casey Cooke yesterday,”_ the reporter told the cameras. _“The man said she appeared to be alone, disoriented and lacking shoes. She ran before he could get ahold of the police. The authorities are asking anyone with potential information on Ms. Cooke to please call their tip line,_ ” a number flashed across the screen. “ _Help us to bring Casey Cooke home.”_

She shut the television off, glaring at the now blank screen. She wasn’t _lost_. She knew what she was doing. They weren’t going to stop looking for them.

She reached behind her, pulling a pillow up to her face and screaming into it until her throat was raw. 

…

Casey didn’t know what to do with her day. She’d woken up around noon, but she knew she couldn’t leave her room. Someone would see her and she’d be screwed. 

She’d looked through the drawers under the television, finding that someone had left a book there. It was worn, well loved. Casey decided she’d read that until she decided what she was going to do next. 

…

Casey hadn’t left her room. Dennis had been sitting outside it for a while now. He’d tried to go home but found it was swarming with cops now. He knew it was only a matter of time before they’d find his car. So he’d found a different car and hotwired it. It would only last so long, but he only needed a little longer. 

Earlier in the day, the curtains had moved and he’d seen Casey look towards his car, the same dark color, but then watched the curtains close again.

A police car drove past him, the man behind the wheel didn’t even give him a second glance. 

…

Casey finished the book as night fell. 

She was still in the same clothes as the night before. 

Outside, she heard the sound of a door closing. She assumed it must just have been someone getting their own room.

But then she heard a knock at her door. 

She sat up in her bed, staring at the door. _It must be the cops_ , she thought to herself. _They’ve finally found me and now they’re here for me._

She knew it would be no use in ignoring them. They’d get through the door one way or another. 

Casey stood up, realizing this would be a horrible outfit to be taken to jail in. Old sweatpants and a t-shirt that wasn’t even hers acting as pajamas. But she had no time to change.

She stood in front of the door for a handful of moments, working up the courage to open it. 

_Knock, knock, knock._

They were impatient. The police wouldn’t even give her time to open the door. 

_Knock, knock, knock._

They seemed to be more exasperated now. 

She took a deep breath, turning the knob with a shaking hand, the light of a streetlamp filled the room.

…

Dennis watched the door open in front of him. Casey’s eyes were vacant like the light had gone out from behind them.

“Casey,” he whispered, pushing past her and shutting the door. He watched as she slowly turned to follow along with him. Her eyes look confused now, disoriented. They looked like she hadn’t slept. 

“Dennis?” her voice was small. “Are you… are you really here?”

He closed his eyes for a second, feeling pain for her. She didn’t even trust that he was really here. Had she slept? Had she eaten?

“I’m so sorry,” Dennis began apologizing, reaching out for her. He realized she was swaying slightly on her feet. “Casey?” he questioned, eyebrows pulling together. “Are you okay?”

But she didn’t answer, still staring at him, eyes searching his own for any sign of deception. Any sign that he wasn’t really here. 

And then she blinked. And her eyes stayed closed for too long before opening again. They closed again and then she was falling. 

Dennis reached out for her, catching her in his arms moments before she hit the ground. He could feel her heart hammering in her chest. 

_Shock_.

He picked her up, carrying her to the bed and sitting down with her in his lap. He began rocking her slowly, running his fingers through her hair. His tears were wetting his face as he held her, staring down at her face. 

“I’m so sorry,” he said again, kissing her forehead. “I’m so sorry. I lied. I lied. I love you. I love you so much. I love you more than _anything_ else in the world. And I am going to do anything to prove it to you.”

Dennis leaned back, holding her close to his chest as he stared up at the ceiling. 

“ _I love you_ ,” he whispered again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that holds up to what you wanted from me.
> 
> Like or comment or something.
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com
> 
> (Let me know if you understand why I used '8' as the room number)


	26. Chapter Twenty-Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She’d always heard her father mention how he and her mother were destined to be. 
> 
>  
> 
> _Destined._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is actually quite short compared to the chapter before. I'm quite sorry about that. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this.

When Casey woke up, she was under a blanket and sunlight was starting to stream in around the curtains. She looked around, disoriented. There was a dull pounding in the back of her head. 

And she was alone.

She pushed herself up into a sitting position, momentarily closing her eyes against the pain that flared up. She wondered how long she’d been asleep; if she’d caught up on the lack of sleep she’d had the days leading up to now. She didn’t even know what day it was. 

She looked around the room, certain now that she’d imagined Dennis coming to the door. Maybe it had just been room service and she’d imagined the rest. Imagined the world starting to spin and fade around her. Imagined the sight of his arms wrapping around her as she began to fall.

But… no. There were bags on the floor that weren’t there before. They weren’t hers. She carefully crawled out of the bed and onto the floor, opening the largest one up. Inside she found clothes that she had grown to know intensely.

She closed her eyes, letting out a breath. A breath of relief or of fear, she wasn’t quite sure. She tried to gather her thoughts. 

There was silence in the motel room, marred only by the sound of a shower running somewhere. 

It took her a few long minutes to realize that the sound of a shower was coming from her own room. She frowned, twisting around to look towards the bathroom. She could see the light on from beneath the door.

“Dennis?” she asked quietly. 

She stood up on shaky legs, afraid of what she was going to find. She was hoping. _Hoping_ beyond belief that she would find Dennis. The only person she wanted to see in the world at this point. 

But also the person she wanted to never see again. Her heart was aching in her chest. She couldn’t figure out why. 

His final words kept running through her head. 

_I don’t love you._

He couldn’t have been telling the truth, right? He really did love her… didn’t he? He wouldn’t have lied before. He was scared. He wanted to protect her.

But…

She paused, a few steps from the door. Her hand was outstretched as if to reach and turn the knob. But her hand was shaking, her fingers moving like they’d been dunked in an ice bath. Her chest hurt as her heart began to beat heavily. 

She forced herself to take another step forward. Just one. 

_Knock._

There was no noise from the bathroom, no sign that whoever was in there had heard her. 

_Knock._

Again, no response. 

She swallowed thickly, knowing her eyes had grown glassy from the thought of Dennis being in there. The hope and the fear. 

She reached down, grabbing hold of the doorknob. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, and slowly turned the knob. 

The bathroom was full of steam, she could hear the water hitting the wall heavily now. It caught her off guard, needing to take a breath to adjust to the new denseness of the air. 

Casey could just barely make out the outline of someone behind the thin white curtain, a tall man. She stood, frozen in place. 

But the cold air of the outside room had reached the man in the shower and she watched as his shoulders grew tense. They turned to the curtain and carefully raised a hand to move it.

Casey could compare his face to that of an angel at that moment. A face she had been certain she’d never see again. A face that only two days before had been uttering those terrible awful words. But now… those words seemed to vanish from her mind. The only thing that mattered was that he was _here_ and he was _real_. She hadn’t made him up. He was really here. 

“ _Casey_ ,” his voice sounded like a prayer and she realized that this had hurt him just as much as it had hurt her. The hand that was on the curtain was bruised at the knuckles like he had taken his anger and hurt out on something hard. 

Tears were falling down her face now, making tracks in the dew that had begun to gather there. Thoughts were whirling around her head. Telling her to run away, telling her to run towards him. But she knew what she was going to do. Knew that at this point, nothing would push her away from him forever. 

She’d always heard her father mention how he and her mother were destined to be. 

_Destined._

She walked forward, knees shaking. A look of confusion mixed with the love already present on Dennis’s face. “Casey, what-?”

But she moved the curtain aside and stepped into the stream of the shower. Her clothes became wet quickly, becoming almost a second skin on top of her own. 

Dennis didn’t seem to know what to do, arms hovering in front of him as if he were going to reach out but didn’t want to upset her. 

Casey stared at him, mind still not entirely convinced that he was real. She reached out, fingers grazing his cheek. His eyes closed slightly, head turning into the light touch. “ _Casey_ ,” he whispered again, lips opened slightly. 

It was strange, standing here in the spray of the shower, one of them fully clothed, the other with nothing but their own skin. He opened his eyes again and Casey saw tears there. She watched him blink, watched a tear slice through the wetness left there from the shower.

Casey leaned up, ignoring the way her hair was sticking to her neck, ignoring the water meshing with her clothes, and pressed her lips to his own.

Dennis responded slowly like he wasn’t quite sure she was really meaning to do this. Like he was afraid she’d pull away and rush out of the room, out of his life, for good. 

_Destined._

The word popped into her head again as she kissed him slowly. Her arms had moved, lightly resting on his chest, his own still hovering beside him. 

_Destined._

She pulled away, seeing the fear in Dennis’s eyes as she did so. “Why?” she asked quietly, voice nearly inaudible.

He sucked in a shaky breath, another tear falling, catching on his eyelashes. “I didn’t want you to get hurt,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry, Casey.”

Casey stared at his face, stared at how open he was, but there was still a hole in her chest. Something that was missing. 

“I never wanted you to get hurt,” he said again. “I’m so sorry for what I said. It was all a lie. I love you so much.”

_Destined._

“I love you and I can’t imagine life without you,” he was carrying on. “Please,” his voice broke. “Please find it in your heart to forgive me. _Please_.”

Casey’s throat was growing more and more tight as the time passed. His words were swirling in her head. 

_Destined._

“I love you,” she whispered, the words seeming to roll off her tongue like they were the only words she was ever meant to say. “I love you so much.”

Finally, his arms lifted from his sides, wrapping around her and pulling her to his chest. She let her cheek rest there, wrapping her own arms around him and holding tightly to nothing. She let her tears fall down her cheeks without remorse.

And she could hear Dennis, as quiet as he was, softly sobbing into her hair. 

_Destined._

It was a nice word. She liked it. 

They could stay like this. At least for now. It didn’t matter that she was fully clothed and he was not. 

“I love you,” he whispered again, voice breaking at the end. 

_I love you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized as I was writing this that it sounded like the end, especially those last few lines.
> 
> But I assure you, this is not quite the end for my dears, you'll just have to hold on for that.
> 
> I will not be able to upload a chapter tomorrow, it's going to be an overly busy day for me. But there will be one on Wednesday and if I have the motivation, maybe even two.
> 
> Until then.
> 
> tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> email: underling.1313@gmail.com


	27. Chapter Twenty-Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I’m scared,” she finally managed to whisper, eyes clearing and focusing on Dennis. “I’m terrified.”
> 
> Dennis swallowed, but nodded his head slowly. “Okay,” he murmured. “Tell me more about why. Please?”
> 
> Casey’s mind was wandering again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I may have two chapters today, but I won't. Perhaps I could, but I don't want it to be over yet. And there are only two more chapters before the epilogue.   
> So here's your chapter for today.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> Trigger for past emotions, feelings, hurt, stuff.

They remained in the shower for nearly a half hour longer. By the time they got out, Casey felt waterlogged, her clothes weighing her down.

Dennis carefully guided her out of the shower, wrapping himself in a towel. He led her to the living space, “Stand here,” he murmured, leaving her in a spot near to the bathroom door, dripping on the floor. 

Casey knew she must look like a mess, clothes and hair drenched in water, hanging off her limbs. 

She watched Dennis go to his own bag, pulling out a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, she turned away while he got dressed, only looking up when she heard her own bag unzipping. 

Dennis came back towards her with a similar outfit to his own held in his left hand, his right reaching out for her. Casey gave him her hand, staring at where they were intertwined. “Can I help you get dressed?” he asked gently, watching her face carefully. 

Casey nodded slowly, remaining quiet. She didn’t want to speak, afraid that whatever words came out would betray the turmoil she was feeling in her brain. 

Dennis took his hand away from her, setting her clothes on the bed. Casey watched his hands as he gently reached for the bottom of her shirt, having to pull it away from her skin and lifting it over her head, her hands coming up to aid in the removal. Dennis didn’t look at her now naked torso, instead guiding her to a chair to have her sit. He carefully helped to take her pants on, more of a struggle than the shirt had been. Casey remained silent. 

She was still silent as he walked away, grabbing the clothes from the bed. He helped her into her pants first, she ignored the way they stuck slightly to her still damp skin. The shirt was easier to get on and he lightly pulled her hair out of the top of her shirt. He grabbed a towel and softly towel-dried her hair. 

When they were done, Dennis was staring down at her, looking at the way Casey seemed to be staring off into space. “Casey?” he asked gently, kneeling down so that she was looking at his face. “Talk to me? Please. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Casey didn’t want to open her mouth, didn’t want to try and vocalize what was going on in her head. There was so much. _Pain. Love. Fear_.

“Casey,” he said again, reaching up to cup her cheek, thumb wiping away a tear that she hadn’t felt fall from her eyes. 

“I’m scared,” she finally managed to whisper, eyes clearing and focusing on Dennis. “I’m terrified.”

Dennis swallowed, but nodded his head slowly. “Okay,” he murmured. “Tell me more about why. Please?”

Casey’s mind was wandering again.

_“No one is ever going to love you.”_

“You said you didn’t love me,” she said quietly, voice breaking off at the end. “He always-” she choked up, having to suck in a breath. “He always said no one would love me. And you, you,” she cut herself off again, shaking her head and wiping her tears, hands rougher than they should have been.

She saw the way Dennis’s face seemed to break a little, a look of pain and sorrow coming over it. “I lied,” he whispered. “I know… I know that doesn’t help and I _never_ should have said it in the first place but I-” she watched him drop his head down, pulling his hand away from her and letting it fall to the ground next to him. 

_“They’re going to get rid of you at the first chance they can. They won’t really love you. You’re too difficult to deal with. You’re a problem. They’ll only keep you around because they feel bad for you.”_

“You’re not him,” Casey whispered, trying to block out the memories, the pain. “You’re not him,” this time, Dennis looked up, confused. “You love me?”

Dennis nodded quickly, staring into her eyes. His blue eyes were deep, glassy. “I love you,” he said gently.

Casey swallowed thickly. “You really mean that?” she asked quietly, eyes searching his. 

“I really mean it,” Dennis told her softly. “I swear, Casey. I’m so sorry.”

Casey nodded slightly, taking his hand in her own. “It hurt,” she whispered. “It hurt… so much. I… I didn’t know what to do. It was like reliving all my worst memories at once. They all came back suddenly. I… I almost got on a bus. I was going to ride it until it stopped, no matter where it took me. I was willing to ride it to a different state.”

Dennis was still staring at her, taking in everything she was saying to him. “I walked around in socks, I didn’t care how cold it was,” she carried on. “I could have gotten sick and I don’t think I would have cared. I walked down the middle of a road, a car could have hit me… and I don’t think I would have been upset about it.”

She watched Dennis’s jaw tense slightly, trying to remain silent while she talked, trying to let her finish what she was saying. “I lived most of my childhood being told that no one loved me. That no one would ever love me. I tried to tell myself that you really did. That you _really loved_ me but then… then you said you didn’t and I… it took me back to those days. Being told I was worthless and no one would love me. I used to… sometimes… some of these scars aren’t from _him_ ,” she whispered, sucking in a shaky breath. 

Casey watched as Dennis’s eyes suddenly changed position, going straight to where he knew her scars to be. “You didn’t-” he took a deep breath. “Did you…”

Casey shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “I was… I was afraid to. I was afraid that I wouldn’t have been able to stop. So I didn’t. I… I laid in the bed or I read a book, but I didn’t… no.”

Dennis’s hands were shaking slightly, Casey could feel the hand she was holding shaking, though he was trying to stop it. “I love you,” she whispered. “I didn’t… I didn’t tell you all of this so you would feel bad. So you would feel like it was your fault… but…. I needed you to know. I needed you to know what I went through. How it made me feel. I _needed_ you to know.”

Dennis nodded slowly, wiping his eyes with his free hand. Casey was terrified again. So scared that he was going to get up and leave. Decide that she wasn’t worth it. Wasn’t worth the pain and the hassle of taking care of her. Of someone broken.

But then she watched as he reached out, pulling her out of her chair and onto the ground. Into his arms. He was kissing the top of her head, holding her close, rocking her slightly. “I love you,” he whispered into her hair. “I love you. I’m so sorry I put you through all this… I’m so sorry, but I will never do anything like that again. I promise.”

Casey realized then, why they were so connected, why they cared for each other so much. 

They were both _broken_. But together… they fixed each other. 

Casey didn’t realize she’d began crying until Dennis pulled back and looked her in the eyes. “You’re amazing,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I ever made you feel less than you are.”

Casey blinked, trying to see him clearly, trying to see him through her tears. “I love you,” she whispered. “I love you so much it hurts.”

Dennis’s hand was cupping her cheek again and then he was leaning in, pressing his lips to her own. It was a soft kiss, full of nothing less than love. 

When he pulled back again, Casey had a question she needed to ask. “Are we safe?”

Dennis seemed conflicted for a moment. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “I don’t know. The police… they’ve surrounded the house, I drove by to see. They were following me at first but I managed to get a new car… I had to ditch it though, just in case.”

Casey nodded, looking towards the door. Waiting for the inevitable. The moment when the police would come barging through the door and arrest them both. But it was silent outside, save for a few passing cars. 

“We’ll be okay,” she whispered. “We’ll be okay. We’re gonna be okay. As long as…”

Dennis smiled softly. “As long as we’re together,” he murmured. “Then we’ll be okay.”

Casey nodded again, staring into his eyes. So blue and so loving. She never thought she’d be able to look at someone who looked back at her the same way. With all the same love. 

Casey took a deep breath, leaning in and pressing their lips together again. 

This time it was more fevered. Dennis reciprocated the kiss quickly, picking her up and carrying her towards the bed, away from the hard ground. Dennis’s hands were all over her, holding her close and running over her back. 

“ _I love you_ ,” she whispered against his lips, feeling his hands starting to reach under and pull up her shirt. 

They broke away again, for only a second, and without words, Casey could see the love written all over Dennis’s face. 

And then they were kissing again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, so that was a chapter. Hope you liked it.
> 
> It's all coming to an end so fast, thank you all for standing by me this long. 
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark (message me, leave an ask, I really like stupid facts, especially if they're about history, for which I am majoring in.)  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com 
> 
> I don't believe I'll have a chapter tomorrow, it's going to be another busy day, but stay tuned for one on Friday. I couldn't _not_ post one on my birthday. That might even be the day I do two chapters, simply as a present for myself.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They lay together later, a blanket pulled over them. 
> 
> Casey let her head rest against Dennis’s shoulder, listening to the way he breathed. She could feel his fingers on her back, drawing small circles on her shoulder blades. Her own hand was resting on his chest, tapping against the skin as if she were playing the piano.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter may come as a surprise to you because it certainly came as one to me. I wasn't planning on writing at all today, it was very busy. But during one of my classes, I got inspiration and wrote out the beginning half of this in a composition notebook.   
> The rest seemed to flow easily onto the computer.  
> I hope you enjoy this one, just... the beginning man.   
> I'm- I don't even know what I am. I certainly know I'm not sorry.

Bare skin. Flush against each other. Casey’s heart was hammering in her chest. She could feel Dennis’s chest moving with each breath he took. Casey could feel the blush on her face, all over her chest, knew it was warm to the touch.

Dennis had broken the kiss again, following the same type of pattern he had before. Casey could feel his lips all over her body. On the sensitive skin over her chest, hands solid on her hips.

He bit down once, on a spot near her collarbone, and laughed softly when Casey gasped from surprise. 

Casey didn’t know what to do with her hands, one falling to the sheets beneath her and one holding tightly to Dennis.

His mouth was traveling down farther and farther until he was at her scars again. He looked up and Casey could see his pupils blown wide. He didn’t say anything, but Casey knew his question, and she took a small breath and nodded slowly.

She felt Dennis’s lips carefully pressing down on each of her scars. Kissing them softly.

His hands were at the waistband of her sweats and Casey could feel his tugging lightly on it. She let her own hands cover his, guiding them and letting him pull the pants down. She knew his eyes were on her face, but her own were closed, just feeling him. His hands and his lips. 

She felt his breath on her inner thighs, kissing gently there. Everything he did seemed to be so soft, so delicate, so careful not to hurt her, not to scare her. 

He moved away and Casey heard the sound of his own pants, but then he was back, kissing her lips gently again. She brought her hands up to wrap around him. 

He pulled back and she let her eyes open, looking up into his own. “You’re sure?” he asked softly, eyes traveling from her eyes to her lips and back again. 

Casey nodded. “I am,” she whispered.

And Dennis was back again, their lips working together like magic. Casey would equate it to one of the best moments of her life. 

“I love you,” he whispered against her lips, pressing closer to her.

Casey's voice came out as an almost gasp, but the words were easy to understand. “ _I love you_.”

…

They lay together later, a blanket pulled over them. 

Casey let her head rest against Dennis’s shoulder, listening to the way he breathed. She could feel his fingers on her back, drawing small circles on her shoulder blades. Her own hand was resting on his chest, tapping against the skin as if she were playing the piano. 

His skin was warm and Casey didn’t think they needed the blanket over them, but neither one of them made any move to get rid of it. 

“ _Why do stars fall down from the sky_ ,” Casey sang quietly, noticing the way Dennis’s hand stopped at the sound. “ _Every time you walk by? Just like me, they long to be, close to you_ ,” she glanced up at him, feeling safe in the way he was looking down at her. His fingers started moving again, gentle and slow. 

“ _On the day that you were born_ ,” Dennis cocked his head to the side slightly. “ _The angels got together and decided to create a dream come true. So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold… and starlight in your eyes of blue,_ ” she let her hand rise up and lightly drew a finger over his cheek.

Dennis was smiling softly, kissing her forehead. “You have a beautiful singing voice,” he murmured.

Casey shrugged slightly, turning away again and closing her eyes as she rested her cheek against his chest. 

She focused her attention on the hand on her back, trying to decide what he was drawing back there. She could tell it was words and began trying to pick up on the individual letters. 

_M_

_I_

_N_

_E_

She blushed slightly, burying her face into his chest now. Not because she hated it, but because she liked the thought of it. She was _his_ , now. Just as he was hers. 

Dennis kissed the top of her head again, moving his hand from her back to her hair instead. He began combing through it, gently untangling it. She knew it probably looked like a mess from rubbing against the pillows, but she hadn’t really thought about it until now when his fingers caught on a knot, which he carefully worked through. 

“Dennis,” she murmured, tilting her head to look up at him. His eyebrow cocked up in questioning. “Did you get everything you needed from the house?”

Dennis pursed his lips slightly, she watched his eyes glance up at the ceiling for a split second. Thinking. “Well,” he murmured. “I got clothes, that’s what’s in the duffel bag I brought in,” he was looking back at her again. “Stuff for each of us, at least one outfit each. I figured we could buy more once we’re safe again. I brought… a couple of my own,” he smiled slightly, a little smug, Casey laughed with a shake of her head. 

He was carrying on. “I also grabbed Hedwig’s drawings,” he whispered, trying to make it seem nonchalant, but Casey caught the bit of compassion at the thought of the boy. “I figured he’d be upset if I let them there. He put a lot of effort into them. And I also brought things from the car, all of that stuff is in one of the suitcases.”

She noticed he said _one_ of the suitcases and she glanced over, seeing that he had two of them. “What’s in the other one?” she questioned.

Dennis smiled, running his free hand over his head, Casey had a moment to notice that his hair had begun to grow in. 

“That one,” he murmured. “Is your presents,” he finished. “I wasn’t going to leave them there. We’ve got memories we need to make with them,” he added with a slight shrug, trying to play it off like it was nothing. 

But it meant a lot to Casey. The thought that he wanted to make memories with her. 

“ _Memories_ ,” she murmured, nodding. The thought was nice. 

They lay there in silence again, it didn’t bother them as it may have in the beginning. They had became used to it, they became accustomed to it. It was nice to be in the quiet, they got to hear other sounds. The sounds of their breathing, of their hearts beating. 

“What are we going to do?” Casey asked after a few moments, breaking the silence that had filled the room around them. She didn’t look up at Dennis, afraid that she was going to see worry there. She hated seeing him any less than happy.

Dennis was quiet, still, his breathing didn’t stutter, his heart continued its soft beating pattern. “Well,” he murmured. “We’re going to need to lay low for a few more days,” he said softly. “How many days did you pay for?”

Casey thought for a moment, trying to gauge how long she’d been here. 

_One, two, three_ , she counted in her head. “I have two more days,” she said, nodding slightly. “Yeah, two more.”

Dennis nodded and Casey looked up at him. His eyes were closed and he was moving his lips lightly like he was talking to himself. Casey wondered if he was actually talking to the other alters. “That should be okay,” he said, finally speaking out loud. “Yeah. Two days should be enough. We’ll be able to get out on a bus.”

Casey bit her bottom lip, her next question boiling in her mind. “Won’t they recognize us?” she asked. “We’ll get caught and then they’ll arrest us and- and…” she was brimming on panic, her heart starting to race.

Dennis caught on quickly, reaching up and cupping her chin with his hand. “Hey,” he whispered, staring at her eyes. “I’ve already thought about all that, okay?”

Casey swallowed thickly, taking a deep breath to try and calm herself down. “How?”

Dennis smiled, shrugging a little. “Well,” he began. “I- or Barry, technically - have a wig for us to wear until we grow our hair out, at least while in public,” he told her. “And he ordered a blonde wig for you, as well.”

Casey nodded, her heart slowing down as he explained everything. “Okay,” she whispered. “But what about like, iden-”

Dennis cut her off before she could finish her question. “I know some people,” he admitted. “We worked together to get new licenses. New birth certificates and the such.”

Casey cocked her head to the side, raising an eyebrow. “Should I be worried about these people?”

He was shaking his head at her, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips, kissing it gently. “Not at all,” he murmured. “They owed me some favors. I’ve been keeping some pretty bad secrets for them for a while,” he gave her an apologetic smile. 

Casey nodded her head slightly. “Okay,” she murmured. “Okay. Do you know where we’re going to go?”

Dennis shook his head. “I thought we’d need to discuss that together,” he told her softly. “I didn’t want to make that decision without you being involved in the destination.”

A smile was on her face now, she knew she must look silly, but she didn’t stop smiling. “I’ve always wanted to go to Washington state,” she murmured. “I like the rain and stuff.”

“You know what,” Dennis murmured, kissing her forehead. “I went there once, it was amazing. I think that’s a great idea.”

Casey was going to say something back, a remark about how he didn’t have to agree just because she said it. But before she could, her stomach made a noise. She blushed, burrowing her face into the crook of his neck in embarrassment. 

But Dennis was sitting her up, pulling her away from him, she watched his face grow quizzical. “Casey,” he murmured, his voice concerned. “Have you eaten since you left?”

Casey opened her mouth, ready to assure him that she had. She couldn’t just _forget_ to eat food. But then she realized it. She _had_ forgotten. In those few days she’d been alone, food hadn’t been on her mind. She hadn’t even thought about food. 

She turned her head away from him, not wanting to admit it to his face. She heard him sigh, felt him reaching for his cell, she had to hold on to the blanket to keep it from falling off her figure. 

Now that she’d realized it though, her stomach clenched up. It hurt. Dennis was on the phone and she could pinpoint that he was talking to a pizza place. He was making sure they delivered. Giving their address, the room they were in, telling them what kind of pizza to make. 

When he hung up the phone, he looked down at her with his eyebrows raised up. “Any explanation?” he questioned.

Casey wasn’t going to say anything, but quickly a smile grew on her face. “Guess you’re always going to have to take care of me.”

Dennis shook his head at her, but he couldn’t help but laugh. “I look forward to the rest of our days. The rest of the time I get to take care of you.”

Casey blushed again, laying her head on his chest again, forcing him to lay down on the bed. He hand was on her back again and now she could make out the word _love_ being drawn there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked that one. I enjoyed writing it.
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com


	29. Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dennis had a map spread out over the bed, trying to decide where in Washington they would go. He had been on the phone with bus companies for the past hour, mapping out the routes they took. He had circled the stops they made, where they would have to switch buses. 
> 
> The first bus left out the next day at noon. Dennis only chose companies that took cash, ensuring that they didn’t leave a trail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. This is the last chapter before the epilogue.  
> This is crazy to me, this wild ride we've gone on together.
> 
> The epilogue will be up either tonight or tomorrow. 
> 
> Enjoy, lovelies.

The day was full of planning. Casey knew it would have to be. They would have to plan everything out closely, they couldn’t just wing it. That wasn’t an option and it never would be an option again. They’d always have to be careful. No matter how far they went from here.

Dennis had a map spread out over the bed, trying to decide where in Washington they would go. He had been on the phone with bus companies for the past hour, mapping out the routes they took. He had circled the stops they made, where they would have to switch buses. 

The first bus left out the next day at noon. Dennis only chose companies that took cash, ensuring that they didn’t leave a trail. 

He’d shown her the fake ID’s and Casey had laughed softly. She’d never had a different hair color and to see the blonde photoshopped over her natural brown hair, it was a strange sight. 

Their last names had been changed, though they kept their first names. But in Dennis’s - Kevin’s, really - case, the name Dennis was written there. 

“If they don’t believe we exist in the first place,” Dennis had told her. “Why would they be looking for my name? They’ll be looking for the name Kevin Crumb everywhere.”

Dennis had also given her another phone, another burner, explaining that he had a few more just in case. They couldn’t use them too often or someone would catch on. 

The two wigs were laying on the television stand and Casey found her eyes going there every so often, quickly looking away.

Dennis had compressed his stuff into the two suitcases, putting some of his clothes in both of them and the extra into Casey’s duffel. The duffel he’d been carrying had Kevin’s name on it and that was going to get them into trouble if anyone happened to see it. 

“Are you okay?” Casey hadn’t realized she’d been staring at the door, zoning off. 

She looked back over at Dennis, who was no longer on the phone, the map folded up. She wondered when he’d done that, how she hadn’t heard it. “Yeah,” she murmured, nodding her head. “Just zoning off. I’m fine.”

Dennis nodded slightly, as though he didn’t believe her entirely, but soon his eyes left her own. “I think we should leave here around ten tomorrow,” he told her, looking at notes he had written down. “That gives us time to get there and to buy the tickets.”

Casey watched him read over the notes, nodding along with him. “Yeah,” she mumbled. “That makes sense. Uh… how are we getting there?”

Dennis smiled slightly. “I think we’re going to have to walk,” he said quietly. “I can’t use the car I was using. They’re going to realize it was stolen soon. And we can’t be seen using it.”

Casey’s gaze went back to the wigs, sneering slightly at them. She heard Dennis laugh, though he tried to cover it up by clearing his throat. “I know,” he told her gently, reaching out and taking her hand. “It’s just for when we’re in public,” he added. “When we’re alone, they’re just going to be sitting there. Who knows, maybe you’ll grow to like the blonde.”

Casey smiled back at him, holding tightly to his hand. “I’m just so used to my dark hair,” she said softly, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s just a strange thought. That I’ll have to wear it for a while. At least while people can see me.”

Dennis gave her an apologetic look, tugging on her arm. He tossed the notes, the map, his phone, to the floor, pulling her into his arms. She curled up there, tucking her head underneath his chin.

“We’re gonna be okay,” Dennis whispered. “We’re gonna stay in a motel there for a little while, but then we’ll get our own house,” he carried on. “And you can decorate it however you want. We’ll go shopping for furniture and things to put around the house. We’ll have a big yard,” she could almost picture it now. “And we’ll get a dog or two. Maybe even a cat. A fish.”

She had a smile on her face, closing her eyes. “A big dog,” she whispered. “I used to have a big dog,” she added. “He slept in the bed with me. He was a birthday present from my father, he used to go hunting with us. He was really fluffy and playful. But he was very protective.”

She could see him now, in her memories. 

_The pile of fluff at her feet was growling dully. Casey opened her eyes to the darkness, trying to see what trouble was coming to her._

_She could see her uncle’s figure looming in the doorway. He was swaying slightly, Casey could smell the scent of booze even from where she lay._

_“Casey-Bear,” he mumbled, words slurred. “Tell that mutt to calm down. I’m not gonna do anything to hurt you. You know that.”_

_He moved closer, at the edge of the bed._

_It was a blur of fur, a shouted curse word, her uncle jumped back, muttering to himself. He was holding onto his hand. “Stupid fucking dog,” he snapped, glaring at the two of them, the pet wrapped around his person._

_John shook his head once more, before backing out of the room and slamming the door behind him._

_Casey was comforted by a nuzzling nose against her cheek for the rest of the night._

_That was the last night she spent with him. When she got back from school the next day, he wasn’t there anymore. And she never got any answers._

“Where’d you go?” Dennis asked softly, Casey shuddering back into her mind. 

Casey looked up at him, an awkward angle because of how she was being held. “I was remembering him,” she murmured. “The last night I had him. He bit my uncle,” she couldn’t help the smile that showed on her face. “He’d been drunk and had come into my room. But my dog didn’t let him get close to me.”

Dennis looked thankful for a second and Casey knew it was because he was happy that her uncle had at least gotten a little of what he deserved. “What happened to him?” he asked quietly. “I mean, the dog. You said it was the last night you had him.”

Casey sighed, dropping her gaze to look at the closed curtains. “I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I got back from school the next day and he was gone. My uncle never told me what he did.”

Dennis didn’t say anything back, but she heard his breath stutter for a single second. 

“We’re going to get a dog,” he whispered. “And you’re going to pick him out.”

…

Dennis woke her up the next morning around nine. 

His face was somber as they got ready, constantly looking back at her. She knew he was making sure she was doing okay with everything. She kept smiling back to try and reassure him.

When they had everything packed, Dennis helped her put on the wig. She wandered to the bathroom while he was putting his own on and he found her there a few minutes later, glaring at her reflection. “Casey?” he asked softly, walking behind her and wrapping his arms around her. “You okay?”

Casey nodded, turning around in his arms and looking up at him. “I am,” she murmured, leaning up to kiss him. “Are we ready?”

Dennis smiled after the kiss, nodding gently. “Yeah,” he whispered. “We’re ready to go.”

…

They made it to the bus station with no problems. No one stopped them, no one even gave them a second glance. 

They were at the ticket counter now, the man giving them their tickets seemed bored. 

He looked up at Casey, handing her her own. “Wait,” he said, holding on to it still. “You look familiar. Do I know you?”

Casey’s heart jumped to her throat, quickly shaking her head. “No,” she said quickly. “I don’t think we know each other. I don’t-”

 

The man nodded, letting go of her ticket and snapping his fingers. “I know what it is,” he said. “I knew a girl in high school that had the same kind of hair as you. Same color and length and stuff.”

Casey nodded awkwardly, giving him a polite smile. “That must be it then,” she murmured. “Have a good day,” she added as Dennis pulled her away, wrapping an arm around her and holding tight. 

…

Every time a police car drove past the bus, Casey felt sick. She was so certain that they were going to be found out. 

No one seemed to recognize them, aside from the cashier, and everything was going on without problems.

Dennis was on edge, it was easy to see. He had her sit in the window seat and he chose the aisle, watching everyone like a hawk. His stance was rigid, arms crossed tightly over his chest. As people walked by, they tried to ignore the glare he was giving them. 

She reached over about two hours into the second bus ride, resting her hand on his forearm. “Hey,” she whispered. “It’s okay. We’re okay. We’re out of Philly. We’re gonna be okay. We’re gonna make it.”

Dennis looked over at her and the look of worry and frustration on his face seemed to vanish. His body grew less rigid, he dropped his arms. He took hold of her hand and squeezed tightly. “We’re okay,” he whispered. 

…

The entire journey took nearly three days. 

They tried to get a new bus every time the one they were on stopped. But sometimes there was a wait between it. Anywhere from an hour to three. 

By the time they made it, they were sore and both a little cranky. The other alters had been feuding a bit in Dennis’s mind, arguing over the fact that he’d had control of the light for so long. But he continued to tell them that he was keeping the light until they were safe. He told Casey that it was Barry who ended up convincing them that he was making the right call.

…

It was raining when they reached the bus station in Seattle. 

As they stepped off their bus, Dennis reached out and took her hand. She tilted her head up to the sky, letting the rain wash over her face. 

“We need to find a motel,” Dennis whispered and Casey nodded, following him as he began leading her through the streets. 

…

Three hours later, they were curled up next to each other in the bed of a small motel. 

They’d both gotten a shower, spending far too long cleaning. They hadn’t wanted to get out of the warm water. Dennis washed her hair twice with the motel shampoo and conditioner until it was smooth to the touch. 

And now, with blankets pulled up over them, they were staring into each other’s eyes. 

Dennis was the first one to speak, breaking the silence they had allowed to gather around them. “We made it.”

Casey nodded, letting out a small breath. “We made it,” she agreed, smiling slightly. “We made it.”

Dennis pressed his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. “I love you, you know?”

Casey laughed softly. “I know,” she whispered. “And I love you,” she added, watching him open his eyes to look at her. 

They stayed like that for a few moments more, before Casey grinned, pressing close and pressing her lips to him. 

They were safe. 

They were _home._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for the epilogue.
> 
> Thank you for staying on this with me. I appreciate each and every one of you. <3
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com
> 
> I had to give them this happy ending.


	30. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He’d kissed the tears away, telling her that she was his favorite part. “No competition.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's all over, my dears.
> 
> This has been a crazy wild ride. The last month of my life has revolved around school, work, and this story. It's almost heartbreaking that this is over.  
> I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it, this story has been my baby.
> 
> Thank you for sticking around with me through it all. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you all. 
> 
> Enjoy this epilogue.

_**Three Years Later** _

Their house wasn’t anything big. It wasn’t flashy. No one would take a second glance at it if they drove by. 

It also helped that it was set back in the woods, surrounded by trees. They were a handful of minutes outside of Seattle, far enough that the local police didn’t bother them with anything. 

Hedwig loved the new house. Loved the outside yard. There were days when he’d go outside and be there for hours, sitting on a chair, looking out at the trees. They were other days when he’d do the same, but he would pull Casey out with him. Both of them would hold their sketchbooks in their laps, drawing the scenes out in front of them. It was a lot of green. Hedwig loved when fall would come. He had no limit on how many trees he could draw. How many different colors surrounded them.

Barry enjoyed the colors as well. He said they gave him inspiration. He had a room all to himself, he called it his ‘office’. It was really more of a studio, but he said office made him sound more sophisticated. He’d bought mannequins and designed outfits that would fit Casey, who just so happened to be a similar size to his mannequins. When he was in the light, he spent half his time in there and half his time making Casey try his outfits on.

Casey tried to ignore that room when Barry wasn’t forcing her to be in there. The mannequins freaked her out. When she’d been alone one day, she thought she heard a noise coming from the room and had to call Barry in the middle of a panic attack. The door stayed shut for the most part after that.

Jade loved the fact that they had a huge television. It let her watch all the shows she could possibly want. She really hated when she came to the light while Casey was busy watching the news. She always complained that it was too boring, too mundane. She’d insist Casey change it to something more entertaining, something like _America’s Next Top Model_ or a similar show. 

Orwell’s favorite room had become the room they liked to call the _Library_. It wasn’t really a library, only housing five small shelves of books. One of which was full of books for Hedwig, another with books Casey had picked, the rest were random. Scattered around. He mostly left his days to that room, barely making contact with Casey.

The rest of the alters had their own favorite parts. Some liked staying inside where it was always warm, where the rain or snow couldn’t touch them. Others enjoyed the outdoors, spending hours there when they could. 

Casey’s favorite was when she was spending time with the alters and the dogs. They had three now. Two golden retrievers and a German shepherd. Claire, Marcia, and Seth. Dennis had let her name them and despite showing a bit of sadness at the names, he agreed that they were perfect. Some days were worse than others. Some days she wished she’d picked different names, the days when the memories would flash.

But she’d learned how to work through those days.

She once asked Dennis what his favorite part of the last three years had been. What his favorite place in the house was. He’d looked her in the eyes and smiled, kissing the top of her head before speaking. “My favorite part?” he’d paused, pursing his lips as if he were thinking quite hard. “My favorite part is when you take pictures of the leaves falling around the house. Watching the way your eyes light up at the first snowfall of the year. Watching the way you interact with the dogs. Watching you dance around the house when you have your headphones in,” he’d carried on until she’d nearly started crying. 

He’d kissed the tears away, telling her that she was his favorite part. “No competition.”

…

It was raining outside now. A common theme. Casey was staring out the kitchen window, watching the way it dripped through the leaves. It was March. 

The dogs were sitting in the living room, the two goldens on the couch, the shepherd on the ground, head on his paws. Even without looking, Casey knew his eyes would be on her. They always were. Dennis would always tell her that he was her protector. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her. That’s why she’d named him Seth. Protecting her even though it wasn’t his job. 

It was days like this that she wondered about her foster siblings. They’d always liked the rain. They would go outside in full rain gear, boots and coats, and splash around in the puddles that would begin to accumulate in the potholes on the street. 

Dennis was running errands in the city right now. They needed more food, Barry said he needed fabric, Hedwig was out of paints. He’d just started painting recently, it was more of a mess than anything else. 

Dennis would be back any minute. That was why she was watching out the window. She always loved to watch him pull up the driveway. Loved to watch his eyes light up when he caught sight of her in the window. 

She heard a noise behind her, turning to see Seth looking up at her. She reached down, petting his head gently. He tilted up into her palm, licking the skin there. The other two were lounging still, not a care in the world. Their names were fitting.

“Hey boy,” she whispered, leaning down to his level. He immediately licked a stripe up her cheek. She laughed, wiping it with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry. I know you wanna go outside. But we gotta wait for the rain to stop a bit. You know how Dennis is about mud.”

Seth made a noise in his throat as if he truly did understand how the man would get. He licked her cheek again, turning around and going back to the living room. 

Casey had the news on the television, letting the sound of it fall into the background. She preferred the sound of that rather than what Jade would always have on. She liked background noise, but Jade’s shows forced themselves into the foreground.

The ground outside was covered in mud, but if Casey looked hard enough, she could see flowers starting to bloom from the ground. She loved when the flowers came up, they made the world bright. 

She moved her head to the side, her hair falling over her shoulder. It caught her off guard. After getting annoyed with the wig, she’d begun getting her hair dyed professionally, living with the light blonde now. She liked it and on certain days, she even loved it. But it never failed to surprise her. Just like it never failed to surprise her when she caught sight of Dennis and the others with their hair. They’d grown it out as well, so they could also ditch the wig. Sometimes Casey would tug on it just to make sure it truly was real.

She could see the car now, just breaking through the tree line. It would still be a few minutes before he reached the house. 

They’d timed how long it took one time, doing different tasks. For a car, it took three minutes from the tree line to the house. To walk a normal pace, it took almost ten minutes. If you were running, you may be able to make it in six or seven. The dogs could make it in five. 

The car was clean, though Casey could tell it wasn’t just from the rain. Dennis must have washed it while he was out.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the television. By a sound she heard rarely.

She knew what would be written across the screen.

**Breaking News**

She wandered away from the window, frowning slightly. 

“ _A case gone cold_ ,” the reporter was saying, staring at the camera. “ _For three years, this case had haunted the nation. Two young girls and a therapist, brutally murdered_ ,” her heart stuttered, feeling like it stopped for a second. 

She heard the car pull up outside.

“ _The murderer, a man named Kevin Crumb_ ,” his picture appeared in the corner. “ _Though this man had twenty-three other personalities inside of him.”_

The car door shut. She heard the trunk open.

“ _The girl who escaped, Casey Cooke_ ,” her picture popped up on the screen next to Kevin’s. “ _Who fell in love with her captor. Who ran away with him. The two of them ran away from the cops. Fleeing from what they’d done. Fleeing from the people they hurt_ ,” Claire, Marcia, Doctor Fletcher, her foster siblings, their pictures all flashed briefly across the screen.

The trunk closed. Dennis would be walking up to the door.

“ _Thanks to a recent tip_ ,” her heart stuttered again. “ _Police believe the two to be in the Washington State area.”_

No, no, no, her thoughts were everywhere. She heard Dennis’s key in the door.

“ _More specifically_ ,” a pause for effect. “ _Near Seattle_.”

The scream was ripping its way from her throat before she could stop it. Casey collapsed to her knees, hands trembling.

Seth, Claire, and Marcia all jumped up, off the couch, running towards her, surrounding her. Worried for her.

She heard the door fly open, bags being dropped to the ground.

Dennis’s footfalls came running into the living room. “Casey!” he shouted, falling next to her. “What is it? What happened,” he was holding onto one hand, trying to get her to look him in the eyes.

But words were failing her, tears in her eyes, she continued to stare at the television. The sound in her ears a piercing scream. 

She saw Dennis turn to the television, his eyes going wide. He started shaking his head, a curse word falling from his lips. 

Casey’s mind wouldn’t work. All the time they’d spent here. All the memories they’d gotten to make. The happiness they’d shared.

It all seemed to explode into a thousand sparks. 

_It was all over._

 

_**Fin.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry. I really wanted them to have a happy ending with everything perfect. And to be completely honest, I almost gave them that. But I'm kind of a monster and I felt the need to do this to all of you.  
> Just know that it hurts me as well.
> 
> I just want to say again, how much I appreciate you all. I can't believe you guys all stuck in this with me. I love you all.
> 
> I'm going to put in an offer for you all. If you want more from me, find me on Tumblr, shoot me an email, or even comment on here, a prompt or something you'd like me to write. I'd love to write more for Split, it's given me joy over the past month. 
> 
> Again.  
> Thank you all.  
> It's been fun.  
> Thank you for staying around until the end.  
> Thank you.
> 
> Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark  
> Email: underling.1313@gmail.com
> 
> Thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi or ask anything on my tumblr, or heck, say what you may want to see in this story.
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/underaspark
> 
> Until next time.


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